


Poe's Princess

by Diary



Series: Foundling Verse [1]
Category: Alien Nation (1988-1997), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst and Feels, Bechdel Test Pass, Family, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Late Night Conversations, Not Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Poe Dameron, Queer Finn (Star Wars), Tags May Change, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27582224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: Repost. AU. Finn and Poe go on a mission to rescue stolen children from the First Order, and Poe bonds with one particular baby. WIP.
Relationships: Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Finn & Rose Tico, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Poe Dameron & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Foundling Verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016197





	Poe's Princess

Finn is still new to a lot of things.

Sex isn’t exactly one of them. It was frequent amongst stormtroopers, but the few times he had it, it wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t painful or repulsive, it was just unexciting, and he felt disappointed and vaguely hollow afterwards.

He didn’t really know what the rules and etiquette in regards to sex were in the Resistance.

There’s unflattering propaganda about the First Order, he’s always known this, and the fact most of isn’t inaccurate is part of the reason he never understood or shared the anger of others in the First Order towards most of it. However, he’s always been defensive of the idea stormtroopers don’t understand or, worse, abide by the concept of sexual consent.

Likely, there are stormtroopers and Imperialists who rape and/or use the threat of sexual violence, but he learned as a youngling that there are certain things that can’t be done even to the most dreaded enemies. When it comes to non-enemies, outside of sparring, certain touches were okay only if all people involved liked and wanted to be touched in such a way.

When it came to the Resistance, he didn’t doubt consent was also extremely important, but he wasn’t sure how it was established. He didn’t know if it was largely expected people be in a certain type of relationship or not.

What he did know was: Poe Dameron had a fair amount of sex.

This didn’t answer any of his wonderings. Even in a rebel faction, Poe is unbound by almost anything. If he believes something is right, it’s right. If he believes something’s wrong, it’s wrong. If he wants to do something, he’s likely going to do it, and kriff anyone, even those he’s aligned with, who dare stand in his way.

Poe, he observed, neither hid nor made a show of being with many people.

Everyone knew, and no one seemed to care, but if Poe weren’t an invaluable asset, would this still be the case?

Now, though, something might have changed.

He was playing Novacrown with Rey when he saw Poe talking to a pretty woman, and he could tell by looking at them that there was a good chance she and Poe would soon go to one of their quarters.

Sure enough, they were soon heading off hand-in-hand, but then, strolling past him and Rey, Han Solo was calling, “Dameron! Wait a minute, kid, I need your ear.”

They didn’t talk long, but after they were done, Poe talked to the woman for a moment, and then, she was leaving without him.

“He’ll find someone else soon,” Rey commented. “Han said people like him can’t stand to sleep alone during times of peace.”

Making a move, he asked, “Do you know what name Kylo Ren had before he joined the First Order?”

Before this conversation, he’d never considered why Poe had sex so frequently, and the idea it might be due to loneliness or a literal desire for someone sleeping in bed next to him doesn’t strike him as likely.

For one thing, Poe could be in a relationship with someone, man, woman, or person of a non-binary gender, easily; he has a feeling some might disagree, but he has no doubts of this.

And if Poe just wanted a sleeping companion, he has little doubts Poe could quickly procure this for himself, too.

He knows Poe well enough to know, willingness to make sacrifices for the Resistance aside, Poe makes doing things he wants and not doing things he doesn’t look effortless.

Now, Poe has sat down next to him at dinner. “Hey, buddy. You have that look on your face. Anything I can help with?”

Apparently, he has a look on his face when he doesn’t understand something.

One of these days, he’s going to be near a mirror when Poe says he has this look.

“It, uh, might be personal.”

Shrugging, Poe pops a jogan in his mouth. “Personal should be respected. Not much is personal when it comes to me, though. So, if it’s about you, we change the subject. If it’s about me, even if it is too personal, I’ll just tell you, and we’ll change the subject. Sound good?”

“You didn’t go with that woman earlier. And if it’s personal for her, then, I know that’s not my business, either. But why didn’t you?”

Poe chews his food for a moment. “I don’t make many judgements on what a marriage should be. I’ve been with married people before, but I try to avoid ever being with someone who’s promised monogamy to someone they’re with. She’s separated from her wife and was honest about that, but Han reckons they have a chance at getting back together.”

“It’s just a case of I’d rather be safe here than sorry. If they do get back together, I don’t want to be some mistake she made that might be some big thing between them.”

“When it comes to-” Already, he’s floundering inside and out.

Poe has this expression that’s more terrifying than any Imperialist voice over the comms and, paradoxically, beautiful. It’s one where he’s realised something about him (Finn) and is amused but is also going to try to help.

“Hey.” Poe squeezes his arm. “Is there someone you’re interested in? Was it is her? ‘Cause, I have no problem-”

“I’m not interested in anyone like that. It’s just, I don’t really know- What are the rules? Some of us, it’s important to follow them.”

“Well, this is one area where it’s safe to say that I largely do follow the rules. First, you’re going to promise me that, if anyone tries to get you to do something you don’t want, if they’re pushy, or if they don’t follow the rules, you tell me. If I’m not around, you tell General Organa or Han or wait until I get back.”

“I can take care of myself,” he says.

“You’re going to promise me,” Poe repeats.

“I promise,” he agrees, because, the truth is, he’s not sure what he’d do. He wouldn’t kill someone, and he’d try to avoid using physical violence, but otherwise-

“Good. If you like someone and want my help, I’m there. Otherwise, talk to them. It’s not your responsibility to find out if they’ve made promises to someone else, but that’s what I try to do. You make that call on your own. Be honest about what you want: Just some fun, to see if a real relationship is possible, whatever. And you can always talk to me, but if it’s just some fun, don’t go around announcing to everyone that you and that person were together.”

“Some people will probably know, and that’s fine. It’s not something bad. It’s just, there’s an expected amount of privacy everyone’s entitled to.”

“Right,” he says. “There’s a difference between some friends knowing and the whole base talking about the private things people are doing behind closed doors.”

Poe grins. “Yeah, you’re gonna be just fine. If it’s a relationship, talk about what youall want: Exclusivity, the possibility of it in the future, or an agreement you’re both free to see other people. When it comes to relationships, I’d advise against trying to hide it, but that has to be your call. And there are definitely some things that, even if you’re in a relationship, you shouldn’t go around announcing to other people, but if you are in a relationship, you don’t have to be discreet about going to their quarters at night or having them come out of yours in the morning.”

“Thank you,” he says.

It feels inadequate. Poe easily lays things out, makes them understandable, and he doesn’t feel stupid, or at least, he doesn’t because of Poe.

Winking, Poe grabs both of their empty trays. “Got any plans for right now?”

“No.”

“Want to help me make General Organa wish death by blaster squad was still a feasible option?”

“Sure. But you’re too valuable and loyal for her to ever sentence you to that.”

Entering the trays into the dish sanitiser, Poe squeezes his shoulder. “I’m definitely calling you for my defence if it does ever get reinstated.”

…

It turns out: Poe wants to steal a specific holocube from an Imperial base.

“No,” General Organa says.

He hopes Poe isn’t actually expecting him to back Poe, because, General Organa is completely in the right here. Even if he were still a stormtrooper, the only way he’d disagree with her call was if he wanted Poe senselessly dead and was railing against the Resistance’s tendency to have competent leaders.

“It’s unhackable via holonet, but if we can get it, our droids can likely get some helpful information. C’mon, General, I swear I can get in and out undetected.”

“No. I’m assuming this one has agreed to give you the layout of this base?”

“Actually, ma’am, I didn’t even know he was going to ask this until we came in. And if it were a matter of being willing to give the layout, I would, but there’s the issue of me not being able. I don’t know it. Never been there or studied it.”

“I need a mission, General.”

She gives them both a look that he thinks, in his case, is unfair. He’s only here, because- well, he’s not sure.

Poe can’t really expect him to back such an insane request, can he?

Shaking her head, General Organa’s words are kind when she says, “You’re here, Finn, because, whenever Poe doesn’t think something is incredibly foolish, he’ll have an audience. If he acknowledges something is absolutely, idiotically insane, he’ll try to sell it on his own. Obviously, this says some worrying things about his perception of the galaxies.”

“Thank you for telling me,” he offers.

She nods. “Poe, as soon as Han, Chewie, and Rey find Luke-”

“That could take a year or more,” Poe protests. “And not to- Look, I don’t want to say this, but you know you’re brother could be dead. If he is-”

Feeling a mixture of sympathy or horror, he suddenly wishes he were almost anywhere else.

“I know he isn’t,” is her simple response. “But if you’re that desperate for a mission, we’ll call a meeting and see what might tide you over until Luke is found. You’re not risking your life for a personal holocube, however.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Poe says.

“Go somewhere else until the meeting is called.”

They leave.

“You don’t think I could?”

“I don’t think the risk is worth it,” he answers.

Poe probably could, he’ll acknowledge privately but never aloud. But- death is a real, ever-present possibility. He’s always known this, and he wasn’t supposed to be sad and vaguely heart-sick when someone he knew or saw regularly died, and so, he tried not to be.

If Poe’s going to die before the war is won, he knows General Organa would make sure he had a hero’s funeral and would take steps to ensure he was remembered as such, no matter what, but Poe dying trying to steal a personal holocube, that might be too much for he himself to bear. Maybe, if it was a vital part of winning, but it’s not.

“Fine,” Poe sighs. “But you’re helping me come up with a good mission to sell.”

…

He doesn’t help Poe come up with a good mission to sell, but at the meeting, the idea of Poe flying an admiral to a meeting on a Core world is suggested.

“I’m not a taxi pilot.”

“Careful, kid. Say that, and you will be soon enough.” Han nudges Poe.

“What if-” He didn’t mean for anyone to hear him, but- kriff. Everyone is looking at him.

“Hey.” Poe kicks him, but it’s soft. “Say it. I once sang a very embarrassing song combined with a- dance routine, and by the way, I’m still killing whoever uploaded that to the holonet, but the point is, Finn, I’m still alive, and it’s going to take a long, long time for you to ever do or say anything that horrible and embarrassing.”

“Is that still-”

“It better not be,” is Poe’s murderous response.

He suddenly wonders if there’s any chance this recording might be on the holocube Poe wants to steal so badly, but pushing this aside, he takes a breath, and he tries, but-

“Finn-” General Organa starts.

Poe waves her quiet. “Alright, look at me.”

He does.

“Now, it’s you and me, okay? No one else here is part of this conversation. Talk to me.”

His heart is burning his chest up.

There are times he can’t understand how someone so kind can be such a fighter. Another part of him is exasperated, and some of him just knows there’s going to be a time, possibly incredibly soon, when this won’t be an option. Poe and Rey will be gone, there will be no time for such kindness in the middle of a battle, not again, at least, but-

He finds himself saying, “I don’t know if they did something, or my mind did it itself. Um, I saw my records, and I think they were accurate. I was inducted when I was five. I don’t remember- my earliest memories are of the First Order. But some of the younglings, they were just babies.”

“I, uh, don’t know if it’s a job for you, or at least, not right now, but if we could- steal? Some of the younglings back. If some of them could be returned to their families, if we could find good homes for the ones that can’t, would this even be possible?”

Murmuring breaks out, and startled, he looks around.

Part of him had truly forgotten there was more than Poe’s dark, almost always dancing eyes on him.

“As much as the Republic wants to ignore you, kid, they’d really regret turning away such younglings,” Han comments.

“But would they acknowledge where they came from,” Rey asks. “Is the idea of Finn uploading a recording to the holonet one that should be reconsidered?”

“That’s a good question that doesn’t have an immediate answer. However, for right now, I have someone who would loan us a ship equipped to transport younglings,” General Organa says. “The question for this would be, what should be our first target?”

Everyone joins in, and there’s talk of nursemaid droid someone found, and there’s talk of how old, some of the older children, they might be too much of a threat to take if they’re loyal and big enough and smart enough to fight back, what if sickness or an attack strikes, how would they best protect the younglings, especially the babies…

He tries to listen to it all, but the main thing he finds himself focusing on is the soft look Rey is giving him and the easy, proud grin Poe is.

Then, Poe squeezes his shoulder. “Good job, buddy.”

Coordinates are pulled up, and he vaguely recognises them from reports, but he doesn’t think he’s ever been there.

“Intel has long suggested it’s an induction facility,” someone says. “But we’ve never been able to confirm it.”

He knows he shouldn’t be bitter. He’s been around long enough to know everyone here truly believes in the Resistance. They want a better galaxy.

Part of him wants to ask how big the effort into confirming it has been, why they didn’t try harder, has anyone but him suggested getting the stolen younglings back?

Why didn’t someone do this when he was a youngling? Even if they had, would he have been deemed too old, too dangerous?

“I can confirm it, and hey, I’ve changed a few diapers in my time,” Poe says. “I can fly in, infiltrate-”

“I could infiltrate,” he blurts out. “If we got another set of stormtrooper armour-” The thought of putting it back on makes him feel sick, but if it could get innocent younglings out… “I could gain intel, and then, maybe, help with the actual rescuing.”

Poe looks thoughtful, and he wishes he had a better grasp of what Poe might be feeling.

Rey, however, looks uneasy. “How dangerous would that be for you?”

“The idea has merit,” General Organa says, “but Rey’s right that there could be a lot of danger involved for whoever does the infiltration.”

“Poe,” Han puts a hand on his shoulder, “you’re a hell of a pilot, there’s no denying, but you wouldn’t be any better at stealth infiltration than I was.”

“And that’s saying something,” General Organa mutters.

Shooting her a look, Han shrugs. “She has a point. You might even be worse. Finn, though, he got you out. He got us in. There’s a chance the First Order might think he’s dead.”

“Any other potential volunteers,” General Organa asks.

“I can do it, ma’am,” he insists. “No one was there to save me. I want to try to save some of them from what I went through. I doubt most of them are going to be like I was when- Even if they are, they won’t have a pilot like Poe to help them.”

Name them, give them a jacket, hug them tightly, goes through him.

He can imagine Poe bundling up younglings, granting them nicknames that might stick, and hugging them, but if he himself can be a part of giving them families, if he can help give them, at least, a chance to make a family for themselves when they’re older…

“Okay,” Poe says. “I might not be the best for infiltration, but I’m flying something. Either I’m taking the infiltrator, or I’m flying the younglings. And whichever it is, permission to leave soon, General? Or for us to find another mission for me until this is all planned out?”

“What do you think of Finn doing the infiltration,” she asks.

He realises he’s holding his breath, and trying to carefully let it out, he waits.

“If he says he can do it, I believe him.” Poe smiles at him. “Just make sure you really want to risk yourself for this, buddy, before you sign up.”

“I do.”

“Then, he’s our best bet, General.” Poe looks around.

Rey and many other people nod.

“If he goes, you should fly him,” Rey says. “You’ve kept him safe in the past, and he’s done the same for you.”

…

He’s been calm, but now, standing in near the flier, numerous emotions go through him.

“This, I re-stress, is not a rescue mission on your part. You are not to remove any younglings from the planet,” General Organa says, and her tone makes him glad she’s looking at Poe. “You are to fly Finn, let him gain intel, and then, contact us via secure channels. It might take us some time to secure the necessary ships, but you are to wait until the others arrive.”

“Got it,” Poe cheerfully says. Then,he squeezes Rey’s shoulder. “I’ll bring him back to you.”

“Bring him back alive,” she says.

Coming over, he squeezes her hand. “He will. Be careful with Han and Chewie, okay?”

“I will.” Giving him a small smile, she squeezes his hand back.

“Looks like everything’s ready. General.” Poe salutes. “Don’t worry, BB-8 will keep us in line.”

BB-8 beeps, and probably not unfairly, he’ll acknowledge, General Organa doesn’t look any less sceptical.

“Safe travels, Poe Dameron.” She threads her fingers through some of his curls, and she clearly pulls, but it must be gentle by the smile it causes.

“And,” coming over, she squeezes his shoulder, “you, Finn. Make good choices.”

Heading towards the flier, Poe says, “C’mon, time to be Mandolarians, buddy.”

General Organa sighs, but she doesn’t declare she’s changed her mind and that someone else will be doing this mission.

…

“Here’s the deal, I don’t know how it was with your unit, but people bunking in close quarters always do something to annoy each other,” Poe says. “When that happens, just tell me.”

“Oh, okay. Uh, you too.”

Poe laughs, and he used to be so afraid of laughter.

Laughter used to mean cruelty. It was both instinct and active rebellion when he laughed on the stolen flier.

“Believe it or not, I’m a pretty easy guy to bunk with. Not much really bothers me.”

The words are somewhat confusing, mostly due to the tone, and he can’t fully puzzle out why.

“Of course, I believe it,” he offers. “When you’re not on missions, you’re one of the most easy-going people I’ve ever met.”

Poe gives him an expression he can’t interpret, but then, it turns into a warm smile. “Someday, Finn, I promise, you’re going to meet plenty of other people who are even more than that.” He sets the autopilot. “Now, do you wanna take some time to adjust on your own, or do you wanna watch some holomovies with me?”

“Holomovies,” he answers.

…

One of the holoromances was clearly based on Solo and General Leia, and when they’re having dinner, he blurts out, “Hey, have you ever been in love?”

“I’ve had some serious relationships,” Poe answers. “Is it Rey?”

“What? No. No, it’s no one. I was just thinking about Han Solo and General Organa.”

Poe smiles, but it’s sad. “Even knowing there’s no guarantee, that this galaxy can be cruel and senseless, this wasn’t how their story was supposed to end. But,” and suddenly, his tone is lighter, and his smile is softer and happier, “hey, don’t worry. When you fall in love with someone, they’re going to be the luckiest person in all the galaxies.”

He knows better, but he still appreciates the fact Poe would say such a thing.

…

He thinks his nose has gotten more sensitive again.

When he first met Rey, for all she was one of the best people he’d ever met, she also had a strong odour that his nose quickly learned to ignore. Though she did use a hand-made brand of sweat-stop,the public sonic cost too much for her to use it often, and she never felt secure someone wouldn’t barge in, whether accidentally or not. Once they got situated on with the Resistance, it took some time, but soon, she was washing every few days, and he’d want to be around no matter how she smells, but part of him is so glad she does now.

The base itself took a week or two to get used to with all the varying smells all the time.

Now, Poe hasn’t used the sonic in a week, and it’s doubtful he’s still applying sweat-stop, either.

The first few days, the more, stronger Poe-smell had been nice, but now, the Poe-smell is mixed in with other less-nice things.

He once went a week without using the sonic or applying sweat-stop, and no one gave any indication of noticing or caring, but even agreeing the First Order shouldn’t have used the methods it used to make sure everyone was always keeping up with hygiene and clean armour, he hadn’t liked the feeling or way he was starting to smell.

Poe told him to say something, but he’s not. He was willing to go anywhere with Rey before she started using the sonic, and he’s going to stick close to Poe, too, even if Poe has permanently decided to stop washing and applying sweat-stop.

Thankfully, Poe has accepted his offer to wash Poe’s clothes along with his own, and so, at least, they aren’t contributing to the smell.

“Thanks, Finn.” Accepting the clothes, Poe starts to change, and he concentrates on digging out some of the games they’ve brought.

He doubts Poe would mind him looking, but seeing other people’s nakedness was strongly discouraged by the First Order. Sonics were the only time there was a semi-guarantee of privacy. One of his unit was reconditioned for insisting on sleeping without any top garments, and another was at risk for falling asleep once without trousers on.

“I’m done,” Poe says.

So much for being subtle, he scolds himself.

“Remember what I said about personal?”

“A person could get in real trouble for being near a naked person or being naked with another person nearby.”

Nodding, Poe sets Galactic Expansion up. “What about sex?”

“As many clothes stayed on as possible. You didn’t ever want to get caught by a superior officer. But uh, some stormtroopers, they deliberately tried to be with those higher up.”

There’s no judgement from Poe, and he wonders if the way he felt was wrong.

“Sometimes, it’d be decided a certain female officer should be implanted with a certain male officer’s sperm, but an unauthorised pregnancy, no contraceptives, and it being a gamble if the woman would have to keep the pregnancy or have it terminated, most people stuck to sex with their own. But a lot of them wanted someone opposite, and- I don’t know if I ever did.”

Poe gives him a small smile. “Were you ever with anyone?”

“Yeah. It- I made the decision, it was something I really did have a choice about, but I never felt good after.”

“Don’t make that choice now unless you think you won’t feel that way after. And if you want it, be with whoever you want it with. Contraception’s pretty reliable, and there are plenty of men who wouldn’t be thinkin’ of anyone, man, woman, or otherwise, if they were with you.”

“You, uh, you like both, right?”

He knows Poe does. The questions he’s trying to figure out how to ask is: Does Poe like one more? Does Poe like different things from men that he does from women? If Poe ever gets married, maybe starts a family, which is he more likely to do it with?

“I like most sentient people. In a way, yes, is the answer, but also, no. I don’t really understand how people can- A lot of humans prefer certain hair and eye and skin colours in their partners, and some people, they could only fall in love with someone opposite or same of them. A lot of people, they can co-exist with other species, but they wouldn’t ever fall for someone who’s a different species than them.”

“And, uh,” Poe rubs at his neck, “I mean, some limits, sure, I understand. Some species, there’s too great a distance in intelligence. Obviously, a kid shouldn’t be with anyone who isn’t very close to them in age. But otherwise, when I was younger, I remembered thinking, ‘What is wrong with so many people? Why are they like this?’”

Poe’s look is suddenly apologetic.

“Thanks for telling me,” he quickly says. “It’s nice to know- I didn’t really understand the way a lot of people were, either, when I was younger.”

Giving him a soft look, Poe continues, “But some of it, it comes down to biology or genetics or DNA. Everyone has the choice whether to learn to peacefully co-exist with others, but the same way I had a crush on Chewie when I was a kid and can miss important family events because this pretty girl with brown eyes gave me the time of the day, some people’s hearts or whatever their biology equivalent only goes off for certain things. They can’t change that anymore than I could change me.”

“Chewie and I talked about you,” he offers. “He was heartbroken when he thought, when we thought, you were dead.”

Poe’s grin is soft and beautiful, and he’s sure Poe has fallen for close friends, people who might technically outrank him, before, but as established, he’s not Poe, and he doesn’t know how to-

And so, he isn’t. Poe’s just a friend, a friend he loves, and love doesn’t have to mean wanting certain things.

Though, he really would like it if Poe would start using the sonic and applying sweat-stopper a little more regularly.

….

He gets used the smell. He learns there’s one particular actress who, he doesn’t think Poe actually hates her, but Poe sure doesn’t like any character she ever plays. Meanwhile, there’s a neutrois actor, and if Poe were a writer, he imagines Poe could dedicate a whole datapad to how wondrous zhe’s acting style is.

Now, they’re getting close to the system containing the induction facility.

“We could draw lots or play a game to see who does the infiltration.”

“And you’d lose,” he says.

Grinning, Poe doesn’t deny it.

“I’m fine. I want to do this.”

There’s a small part of him that’s afraid Poe thinks he might turn traitor, that he was never sincere, that- Poe knows him, Poe wouldn’t vouch for someone like he has for him if Poe didn’t truly believe it. If Poe thought there was a risk, maybe, he wouldn’t be in the brig, but Poe wouldn’t drag him to important meetings, wouldn’t have agreed to them doing this mission, wouldn’t let him get so close to General Leia on such a regular basis.

The thought of putting the armour back on makes everything inside him shaky, but he keeps telling himself, there are younglings who will never have to put it on one day.

There’s a beep, and going over to the controls, Poe says, “And we’re officially in range.”

BB comes over, and taking off his necklace, Poe hands it to him. “Thanks, buddy.”

“Can I ask-” He gestures to BB closing the compartment containing it.

“Oh, right, I never stopped to think you didn’t know. It was my mom’s.” A smile tinged with sadness crosses his face. “Her wedding ring. She left it to me in her will, told me that I should keep it safe until I found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t want it locked up, but on missions, the last thing I need to be focused on is a ring.”

BB beeps.

“Yeah. So, BB-8’s a pal, he keeps it safe for me, and if something happens-” Poe shrugs. “Probably the General. With my dad and grandparents gone, too, there really isn’t anyone else. I know she’d do something good with it.”

He almost asks, but what if she isn’t around, either?

Then, he knows, BB would probably keep it, or if possible, have it buried with Poe.

Trying to distract himself from _that_ horrible thought, he remembers Poe didn’t have it when he broke Poe out. BB, he realises, must have had it.

Besides the plans, BB must have been intent on getting the ring and jacket both to General Leia.

Kneeling down, he presses his head against BB, and a kind, understanding chirp is the response.

“Don’t have me dead before I am,” Poe’s bemused tone breaks the moment.

…

The planet is small and ice-covered. Aside from the induction facility, there isn’t any sign of other sentient species. They land in a nearby forest, and it doesn’t appear they’ve tripped any alerts.

Via hologram, General Leia says, “We believe a First Order ship will make deliveries in the next few days. Now, remember, this is-”

“Not a rescue on our part,” Poe interrupts. “C’mon, ma’am, we’ve got it. When the delivery arrives, Finn’s going to see if he can blend in. If he can get in, he’ll do recon.Then, we’ll wait until the others arrive to cover them while they do the rescue.”

“Be careful, boys. Oh, and Poe, I can tell by the state of your hair that it’s been some time since you seen the inside of a sonic. Change that before you return.”

“Got it,” Poe cheerfully says.

“Good luck.”

The transmission ends.

“Speaking of-” Briefly holding his breath, he pulls Poe into a hug. “I should take a sonic before I go. Some in the First Order have a very sensitive sense of smell. It’d be better if they didn’t smell anything different.”

…

A sinking feeling sweeps through him at the number of stormtroopers.

He knows this should make it easier to wander around unnoticed, but why are there so many on what should be a routine supply mission?

If he goes back, now, he should be safe, but if they’re here for something other than knowledge or suspicion of Resistance arrival, then, the younglings could be in danger.

Taking a deep breath, he looks around, and seeing no one looking, he falls into the line of stormtroopers.

Inside, he tries to banish the feeling in his stomach by making notes about possible strategies and what information might be useful for the others who are coming.

Little children, so, so small, are so quiet, and the look in their eyes- He knows what happens when one cries or makes too much noise.

On the Resistance base, there aren’t many children, but sometimes, there are visiting ones, and he’s learned many children are not naturally quiet, careful creatures.

…

Slipping away, he heads back towards the forest.

Thirteen pregnant girls, and ‘girls’ probably doesn’t even apply. They were taken as younglings, are still young even if they have reached full adulthood (and he’s not sure they have), and if the First Order says they’re to bear children the way women wanting to be mothers do, they will without any spoken questions.

He knows, if contraception fails, many pregnant people have the choice of whether they want to medically end the pregnancy or not, and he wonders if any of them will do this. If they don’t, will they be able to be mothers to their babies? Or will the babies have to be taken for their own safety, hopefully given to families who can properly love and care for them?

Crying jolts him out of these thoughts, and freezing, he prepares himself for whatever might soon happen.

All that happens is the crying continues.

 _Follow_ , part of him urges.

He follows, and when he arrives at the source, he finds himself dropping to his knees.

The baby quiets.

Removing his helmet, he quickly realises-

The baby, a girl, has a flat head and nose and a wide, chubby face. She has a full head of red hair, but her eyes are similar to the Tico sisters’.

She’s been found unacceptable and unfixable. He’s never seen someone like her, but looking at her, some part of him automatically knows she’s not- normal? Conventional? Healthy?

He doesn’t really know what normal, conventional, healthy babies are like, either, and there’s one Resistance member who will never forgive him for calling the other man’s nephew strange-looking, and even Poe, though forgiving, had made it clear it’s not a good thing to call babies strange-looking.

However, there’s something beyond her potentially odd appearance that’s responsible for her being left naked on the snowy ground. The First Order doesn’t care what stormtroopers look like under their helmets as long as they’re healthy and obedient.

General Organa won’t kill him for disobeying orders, but she might exile him.

…

When he arrives, BB informs him that Poe’s in the refresher.

“Hey, I was thinking about getting worried,” Poe calls. “You-”

“I disobeyed orders. We have a guest.”

“BB-8?”

BB assures Poe the guest isn’t hostile.

Coming out, a subtle look of excitement flashes through Poe’s eyes. “You took one of the babies?”

Poe carefully takes her. “Hey, kiddo, I’m Poe Dameron.” Then, he looks up with alarm. “Is this frostbite?”

“They left her out to die.”

“What?” Setting the baby down, Poe asks, “BB-8, do we have any bacta?”

Chirping the affirmative, BB goes to get some.

“Why would they?” Poe waves, and the baby’s eyes follow his hand. Then, moving one of his hands out of eyesight, he snaps his fingers, and it’s clear the baby heard the noise. “Not deaf or blind. Ten little fingers and toes.”

Watching Poe carefully wiggling them and counting aloud, he realises: 1. Whoever Poe decides to give his mother’s ring to will be the luckiest person in all the galaxies, and 2. the baby has odd looking fingers and toes.

BB returns.

Standing fully up, Poe takes a deep breath. “Okay, I need to take a sonic. Wash your hands. BB-8, scan her, please, see if you can detect anything wrong besides the frostbite. If not, then, Finn, you apply the bacta. After that, we need to get out of here as fast as possible and contact the General immediately. Even if there’s syntha baby milk in the facility, it’s too risky for you to try to smuggle some out. And if she’s onto other foods-”

Nudging Poe, BB beeps, and it turns out: BB was prepared for the possibility of them disobeying orders. He secretly packed several cases containing baby milk, bottles, extra foodstuff rations, nappies, and even a few toys.

Laughing, Poe hugs BB. “You’re the best, buddy.”

Kneeling down, he does the same. “Yeah, you are.”

…

If there are any more abandoned (or worse, dead) babies, neither he, BB-8, or the flier’s scanners can find them.

The baby fusses, and adjusting the bottle, Poe continues walking back-and-forth. “I know you’re good about it, but we both need to remember to wash our hands every time we use the fresher. Babies need clean environments. BB-8, are you sure I’m doing this right?”

BB assures him he is.

“We still need to contact the General, don’t we?”

“Yeah,” Poe sighs. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. BB-8’s going to help us keep her safe until the others take her.”

“She needs a name.”

“That’s not for us to decide,” Poe says.

A jumble of feelings he doesn’t know what to do with overtakes him.

Sitting down, Poe brushes a shoulder against his. “She’s going to have a name. I mean that the name itself isn’t for us to decide. Right, now, she’s the most important person in this flier, our little princess, but once we get back, General Leia will find her a good home, whether that means reuniting her with her biological mom and possibly dad or finding a good family to adopt her, and it’ll be their job to give her a name.”

The baby finishes the bottle, and BB comes over with a towel.

Confused, he watches Poe put the towel over a shoulder, place the baby over it, and then, start patting her back.

“I don’t understand it, either, but if a baby’s young enough to be strictly on baby milk, they need help burping afterwards.” As he’s taking this in, Poe continues, “BB-8, did you happen to bring along some baby powder and chem-wipes?”

Before BB-8 can answer, they discover it’s a good thing Poe put the towel over his shoulder and that, it might be necessary, but burping is not something the baby likes.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll get you cleaned up.”

Watching Poe clean her up, talking in his normal Poe way all the while, he feels close to crying.

He doesn’t want to be jealous of a baby. He’s glad she’s going to, hopefully, have a happy, safe life.

The anger he feels at the First Order, however, he doesn’t care to stop it.

Even if she was blind or deaf, even if there is something wrong with her that BB-8 hasn’t detected, how dare they leave her to die a freezing death? How dare they treat him and so many others like they did?

He was always the outcast, and now, he feels guilty for the anger he felt towards his squad. They were better at conforming. They were innocent children once, too, possibly even babies like her.

He was a threat. If one person is singled out for non-conformity, the rest of the squad would face even closer scrutiny.

“We should make contact in the morning,” Poe’s voice breaks him out of these thoughts.

“Yeah. Uh, where’s she going to sleep?”

“She can sleep in my bed. BB-8 will watch over her.”

“Okay.”

…

Crying wakes him up, and coming out of his bunk, he vaguely takes in the sight of shirtless Poe clearly waking up from sleeping on the floor.

“What?”

“She’s probably either hungry or needs a change.” Picking her up, Poe says through a yawn, “Here we go. Yeah, she needs a new nappy. It’s probably too soon for another bottle. If she doesn’t go right back to sleep, I’ll read to her.”

BB beeps.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with-”

“I thought you meant you were going to- she was going to sleep in bed with you.”

Poe gives him a look as if he’s the one who was sleeping on the floor so that a baby smaller than a loth-cat could have it all to herself.

“Are you kidding? Don’t get me wrong, I want to keep her safe and happy, because, she’s an innocent baby, but the fact, if there’s one thing I couldn’t afford to ever tell General Leia Organa, it’s that I somehow managed to hurt or endanger a baby is also in play. She doesn’t need the pillow or the blanket and sheets, I know for a fact babies under a certain age shouldn’t have those in their bassinets or cradles.”

He’s too tired to deal with this. “You’re bunking with me.” Seeing Poe’s about to argue, he adds, “We can sleep with both doors open, and BB-8 can keep watch over her.”

…

Thankfully, the baby soon goes back to sleep, and glad Poe is now showering regularly, he tries not to focus on anything else.

Unfortunately, his mind won’t let him just slip back into sleep.

Poe’s body pressed against him is a little uncomfortable, but he could deal with this just fine. What’s worse than this is the fact it’s also, in some ways, extremely comfortable. Poe feels _good_ against him.

Finally, he manages to fall back asleep, and he swears, the baby must have a sense for this and deem him unworthy, because, he’s jolted right back awake by crying.

…

“She’s too young to understand card games.”

Holding up another card, Poe says, “She probably likes the colours. And this one means that, if the other player...”

Going back to his bunk, he wonders if all babies are so against sleep. This has to be the third or fourth time.

…

After they have breakfast, the baby falls back asleep.

“You two look tired,” are General Organa’s first words.

“We have a baby here. I know this goes against orders, but it’s not exactly reckless. BB-8 packed plenty of stuff, I’ve taken a sonic, and even though she hates being burped-”

Some part of his tired mind clues into the fact: Poe isn’t lying, but his words could imply-

“Ma’am, Poe didn’t disobey orders. I did. He stayed in the ship while I infiltrated the facility, and when I left, I found a baby lying naked out in the snow. I brought her to the ship without contacting him.”

General Organa doesn’t look particularly surprised. “Is one baby all you two have?”

“Yes, ma’am. BB-8 and Finn thoroughly checked the surrounding area, and we used the flier’s scanners. As far as we know, she’s the only one who was left out.”

“Where is she?”

He suddenly feels as desperate as Poe looks.

“She’s sleeping,” Poe answers. “ _Please_ -”

Waving a hand, General Leia says, “You don’t have to get her up. If anyone does, I know how hard it can be to get a baby to go down for a nap.”

Poe lets out a huge sigh. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“When you say BB-8 packed plenty of stuff…”

…

The baby isn’t crying so much as screaming, and somehow, in their attempts to get out of his bunk, Poe ends up with a black eye.

He honestly doesn’t know if he accidentality made contact with the eye, if he unintentionally pushed Poe down or into something, or if Poe just fell against something, but-

“It’s okay,” Poe repeats. “I’ve had much worse. It’ll heal on it’s own, we’d better save the bacta.” Walking around with the baby on his shoulder, he hums a bit. “Did you have a bad dream, sweetheart? Huh? Or did I not burp you well enough before bed? Whatever it is, it’s alright now, you’re okay.”

“You’re really good with her.”

“I’m good with most people.”

He can’t argue with that. “Do you want to have kids of your own someday?”

Poe gives a one-shoulder shrug. “Sometimes, I think I do, but then, sometimes, I think it’d be better if I didn’t.”

Surprised, he tries to figure out how to respond, and eventually, he decides it might be too personal to try prying further into it. Just because someone is good with a baby doesn’t mean- but at the same time, for all he’s desperately hoping for the day when the others arrive and she can go on the ship with the other younglings, Poe seems to be honestly happy tending to and talking to and playing with her.

…

“Is that a black eye? What happened?”

“I fell out of bed. The baby started screaming, and me and Finn were in such a rush to get to her that it just sort of happened.”

Her look of surprise startles him, and then, remembering that they never told her how exactly the sleeping arrangements changed once the baby came, he realises what she’s taken from Poe’s words.

“No. Not like that. We’re not together. Poe was sleeping on the floor so that she could have his bunk, and I offered to share mine.”

“One of you isn’t sleeping with her?”

“BB-8 is keeping watch over her, and we sleep with both doors open,” Poe says. “I took the sheets, blanket, and pillow off my bed. I don’t think she could roll off, but if she starts to, BB-8 can stop her and alert us.”

“Poe.” She gives him a soft, exasperated look. “There are a lot of things parents of younglings should worry about when it comes to you, but one thing I’m not worried about is this baby’s safety under your care. I was simply surprised. You know, she might sleep better if one of you slept with her.”

“But wouldn’t the risk of crushing her be in play? Or if we are attacked, jumping out of bed wrong could hurt her. Speaking of that, I’ve checked, and she fits in the cases BB-8 brought. He’s drilled holes in one, and we can put her in it and strap it down if we need to, but do you think I should swaddle her, if possible, first?”

He has no idea when Poe did all this, but he’s even more grateful that it was Poe who was here when the baby was found. He’s sure anyone in the Resistance would be taking care of her and making plans to protect her if something goes wrong, but assuming the baby’s still around when she’s no longer a baby, if she ever feels what he’s felt, wondering if he was ever loved before the First Order got to him, he can tell her in all honesty that she’s been loved since before she could even crawl.

“As for crushing her, Han had the same fear when it came to Ben, but I told him he was being ridiculous.”

He feels a wave of sympathy for the sudden look of vulnerability on her face, and remembering what Poe said about Luke, he desperately tries to think of what to say to avoid adding to her hurt.

“Oh, yeah? You and he co-slept?” Poe’s face is merely interested.

A sad smile crosses her face. “Yes. It’s usually very safe for babies, and in my case, I breastfed, and this made it easier for all of us to get plenty of sleep during the night. In your case, she might respond well to the warmth. As long as the parent or guardian isn’t intoxicated or sick and doesn’t have too many pillows, blankets, or anything else that might suffocate the baby,there’s little risk involved.”

“We’ll see,” Poe says.

She nods. “The ships should be there in two-to-three days.”

“Ships?” Poe repeats.

“My contact was willing to loan out to two ships when I explained this was a mission to remove stolen younglings from a First Order Induction facility.”

“Your contact really is a Mandalorian, huh?”

“This particular contact is not Resistance but is a parent. Whenever it comes to younglings, this person will always side against the First Order. And with Luke currently out of things-” She shrugs.

“If anyone can bring him, it’s Han. May the force be with you, General.”

“Safe travels back, boys.”

The call ends.

“I wonder why this contact doesn’t like Luke Skywalker.”

“I’m telling you, it’s a Mandalorian,” Poe says. “Luke changed the Jedi code, but before him, the Jedi were almost as bad as the First Order in some ways. They’d take force-sensitive children whether the family agreed or not. The Jedi didn’t treat the kids like the First Order does, but they had no right to take those kids when the family said no, and the fact the Old Republic allowed it played a part in them falling.”

“It’s hard to imagine Kylo Ren-”

He blames the tiredness for these words coming out. Ever since he’s found out Kylo Ren is General Leia Organa and Han Solo’s son, he’s tried never to bring said man up. If the Resistance needs certain information, he’ll give it, but if he’s talking about the First Order in general, he tries not to mention Ren.

“Yeah.” Poe rubs his eyes. “It wasn’t their fault. I, uh, sometimes, it’s still hard to believe.”

“You knew him before he turned to the dark side?”

Poe nods. “We were friends. When I first heard what happened, I was sure he was being controlled or just somehow didn’t realise what all he was doing. It took me a long time to accept that this Kylo Ren dark lord was the same Ben I knew, willingly making all these horrible choices, and even now, sometimes, it’s hard not to think of them as two different people.”

“What was he like?”

“I know you might find this hard to believe, and the stories I’ve heard, I don’t blame you, but he was, uh, very calm. We’d go hiking or flying sometimes, but a lot of times, he’d be reading or working on some project, and I’d sit with him, listen to music or watch a holodrama. He could be intense about things, but it was always him giving these detailed presentations complete with holographs,” Poe chuckles, “or just holing up to do a lot of research.”

“The force started to show itself in him when we were about seven or eight, maybe nine, but even with that, he still helped me when my mom died. He was powerful even then. He had some trouble controlling it, but he never intentionally hurt anyone.”

Poe sighs. “Han and Leia were good parents. When he got older, Ben and Han didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but Ben was Han’s boy, and Han was so proud of his son. Leia and Ben, sometimes, I was jealous of how close they were. I used to wish me and him could be brothers.”

“If any of us had known- how we all missed it-” Making a frustrated sound, Poe’s face is full of such guilt it hurts to see.

“Hey.” Linking his fingers through Poe’s, he squeezes. “Like you said, it wasn’t their fault, and it sure wasn’t yours. I don’t know what happened to turn Ben Solo into Kylo Ren, but he was lucky to have a friend like you and parents like them.”

“I know that, but I also know, if we’d done something differently, there’s a chance you and the baby and, maybe, even Rey along with countless other people-”

“I don’t blame you or anyone else for what the First Order did to me,” he says with all the firmness he can muster, “because, it wasn’t your fault.” Taking a deep breath, he adds, “I know you must have been a great friend to him. Like you are to me.”

“Thanks, buddy.”

Crying fills the air, and chuckling, Poe rolls out of his seat. “I’m coming, sweetheart.”

…

The baby finishes her bottle, and Poe says, “Okay, we’re going to try something new tonight, and if it doesn’t work out, well, you won’t be the first person who’s kicked me out of bed.”

Trying not to stare, he knows better to ask. Whether lovers or others Poe was simply co-sleeping with, all he can think is: Who would ever kick Poe Dameron out of their bed?

Unless Poe means him, in which case, he finds this unfair.

Setting the baby down, Poe takes off his shirt.

“Uh, you might want to take your ring off. In case she grabs it or manages to get it in her mouth.”

Poe grins at him. “Yeah, good idea.”

After BB takes the necklace, Poe gets settled into bed with the baby on his chest, and the sight of it makes some part of him hope that Poe does have a child someday.

…

Since Poe’s started co-sleeping with the baby, she’s slept better through the night. Last night, she only got them up twice with a fair amount between the two times.

“Ships are coming,” Poe announces. Kneeling down next to BB, he says, “Years ago, R2-D2 helped Princess Leia. Now, I need you to look out for this one. Go on the ship with her and Finn, and-”

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah,” Poe glances at him. “You’re going with the younglings, specifically whichever ship she’s on. I’ll fly the flier back.”

“We’re going back together.”

“That was the plan before her.” Poe stands. “Finn, buddy, she’s used to us. A ship full of people she doesn’t know with one of them possibly being the person who left her in the snow, she needs someone familiar.”

BB beeps.

“Aside from you. You’re great, buddy, but you know that human children need more than just droids.”

“Poe, we’re landing beside you,” comes over the comms.

The baby fusses.

Picking her up before Poe can, he rocks her. “Just because I’m not part of the First Order doesn’t mean I can’t play dirty. I’m holding her, and I’m following you wherever you go.”

Through Poe’s murderous look of exasperation, he thinks there’s a bit of respect.

He has no idea what’s he’s doing. He shouldn’t be using a baby like this.

Part of him, however, feels it’s important he and Poe stay together until this mission is over.

…

It turns out his plan of using the baby is pointless.

“Poe, the children are being divided between the two ships, and the prisoners will all fit on the one with the older ones. There are three babies and two younger children going on that one. The other younger children and twelve babies are going on the other. I’ll leave the decision of where BB-8 goes to you, but you and Finn are to transport the foundling baby back via the flier,” General Leia orders.

“I think-”

“That’s an order.”

“Got it,” Poe says.

…

“And this is the colour red.” Poe holds up a different card. “It’s not exactly a match,” he gently touches her hair, “but it’s close. Speaking of close, this one is pink; it’s a similar colour to red. We have a pink droid named R2-KT on the base that’s a lot like BB-8 and R2-D2.”

He’s realised he should stop trying to point out that the baby likely doesn’t understand things. Poe’s happy to show her cards and pictures of numbers, letters, and colours, and she usually coos and moves her hands.

“People, little princess, come in all different colours, too. See, this is Finn’s colour,” Poe carefully wraps her fingers around a black card. “Going by your pretty eyes, I’m not sure what colour you’ll be when you’re bigger. You might be like me, or you might stay like General Leia. I’m not sure if your hair will stay this colour, either.”

The baby babbles.

“You’ll definitely be smart just like she is. Probably just as short, though. I’ll start preparing myself for when a tiny little three or four-year-old decides to take over my command. It’ll be okay, because, you know what,” Poe grins down, “you’re still going to need me to fly. Of course, when you get to be about eight, then, I might really need to worry.”

He’s tried to figure out of how to broach the subject but just can’t think of a good way to ask: Is she going to stay on the base? Is she going to be Poe’s daughter? Is someone else going to adopt her and possibly find themselves married to Poe?

BB alerts them that they’re approaching the planet.

Going over to Poe’s spot, he says, “Got her.”

“Thanks.” Squeezing his shoulder, Poe goes over to the pilot seat.

…

General Leia’s waiting for them when they come in.

Showing her the baby, Poe says, “Here’s the base’s newest princess, but don’t worry, she and I both know you have seniority.”

“What an interesting looking baby,” General Leia politely comments, and he actually feels bad for Poe, because, Poe genuinely doesn’t seem to realise that this is a polite, acceptable way of saying ‘strange-looking’.

Gently touching the baby, she continues, “Well, before you get settled, why don’t you take her highness to the infirmary for a check-up? Welcome, sweet youngling. Commander Poe Dameron will make sure your stay with us is fit for one holding your royal station.” Smiling warmly, she moves her hand up to stroke Poe’s cheek. “And get checked out yourself while you’re there. You too, Finn.”

“Yes, ma’am. But first, is Rey alright?”

“She’s fine. Chewie checked in an hour ago.”

“And the other kids,” Poe asks.

“They’ve all safely arrived at Ralltiir, and the adults we took are being interviewed by psychiatrists. Three Senate-appointed judges will decide whether they should face any criminal charges or not.”

…

He’s sure this new doctor is perfectly competent, but for reasons he can’t explain, he really wishes Dr Kalonia was here.

To his surprise, Poe hadn’t said anything when this doctor collected a DNA sample.

When he was healing, he learned the Republic has an option for citizens to submit DNA samples along with, in the case of certain species, prints of fingers, toes, wings, etc. A person can decide to later petition to have any organic samples destroyed and the records purged except for if they’re currently in the middle of an investigation. Parents can decide whether their children’s are submitted or not, and when the child comes of age, they can decide whether to let the Republic keep the records or they can petition to have it purged.

There are different opinions on this. Some people believe it helps prevent false accusations and helps locate missing individuals, some people believe it could be used to invade privacy and otherwise be used for harmful purposes by those in power, and some, like Poe, have complex feelings on it.

The First Order has physical organic samples as well as records of everyone within the organisation.

When Dr Kalonia had asked him about it, he’d simply agreed, and when he and Poe were talking later, Poe hadn’t had any particular reaction until it became clear he didn’t realise this was an actual choice.

Then, Poe had dragged him back to med bay, and there’d been articles and long discussions.

This is when he learned, Poe would really like to not be a political person.

It’s also when he learned that, despite Poe wanting this, Poe has a lot of political opinions, and General Leia aside, doesn’t care for many politicians.

“This is not an ordinary human baby.”

“You mean she’s a hybrid,” Poe asks.

“No, she’s fully human. But a deformed human. I’ve read about this, but it’s so rare that, in my fifty years of practise, she’s the first human I’ve come across to be suffering from it.”

“Excuse me? Deformed? She’s not deformed. She can see, she can hear, ten fingers and toes, and she’s not suffering. Aside from not liking being burped-”

“Commander Dameron, I’m going to try to put this in simple terms-”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” is Poe’s sarcastic response.

Squeezing Poe’s wrist, he hopes the baby’s presence will keep Poe from getting too upset.

“The regular human has a certain number of chromosomes. This child has more than the regular human, and this is not a good thing. She does appear healthy right now, but her immune system will always be weak, and she will always have a youngling’s intelligence even after she’s physically fully grown, and this is assuming she even makes it to adulthood. From what I’ve read, humans with this deformity, in addition to weakened immune systems, often have other health problems such as-”

Poe holds up a hand. “You can’t know how smart a youngling is going to be before they can even crawl.”

“To a certain extent, when dealing with regular humans, this is true. In her instance, however, I’m not simply going off of what I’ve read. I’ve studied her brain scans, and yes, I can say that, optimistically, she’ll be at the level of a twelve-year-old human in terms of understanding greater concepts. At worst, she’ll be little better than a verbal one or two-year-old. And speaking of that, surgery on her tongue might be necessary. Without it, there’s a good chance she’ll physically have trouble forming words even if she can learn them.”

“Excuse me,” he says. “Um, first, I think we can all agree, people who have deformities, like Luke Skywalker, for instance, aren’t less than regular humans. That being said, let’s not call the baby deformed. Uh, could- is there something you could do so that she’d be healthy, not have a weak immune system, be able to form words, and to learn or understand things past twelve-years-old?”

Poe gives him a soft look he’s not sure how to interpret.

“No. Her lack of intelligence isn’t fixable. As I said, her tongue might require surgery, and it’s possible other future health issues might be treatable, but the chromosomal irregularity cannot be treated.”

“If I get my quarters cleaned, is it safe for her to sleep there until we figure out a home for her,” Poe asks.

…

General Leia talks to him and Poe, and then, talks to the doctor herself.

He has the feeling she doesn’t know how to really talk to Poe, either.

Thankfully, Poe’s squad and friends all welcome them back, and their cooing over the baby and gentle teasing of him (Poe) seems to lift his mood some.

“She needs a kinetic sculpture,” Paige Tico says. “If you want, Rose and I can install one.”

“I don’t think we’re going to use a cradle right now. She’s been doing good sleeping in bed with me.”

“We could install it over your bed.”

Poe tilts his head. “You really think it’s important?”

Feeling a touch on his neck, he turns to see General Leia, and at her motion, he goes with her.

“I’m not sure he knows how to feel,” she quietly says.

“Yeah, uh, I’m not sure I do, either. I- I knew, when I saw her, that there was a reason they did that to her. And she’s still important, but-” He trails off.

“He imagined a great future for her. No one, whether blood kin or someone who simply loves a child, wants to hear that their child will be limited in ways that they can do little, if anything, to change.”

“Is there anything I can do to help him?”

“I don’t know.” She gives a small smile. “I wasn’t surprised by Poe vouching for you. I was surprised at how close you two quickly became. But I’m glad you two have.”

“Thank you, General.”

“Some of the older children and prisoners have heard of you. I was wondering if you’d talk to them. With any luck, the children can be convinced to start integrating into Republic society. There are some families who are interested in adopting older children, provided we can’t find their original families, and it’d be better to try to secure such adoptions rather than place them in group homes.”

“Do you think any of the prisoners will listen?”

“All I can say is that I dearly hope so,” she answers. “I learned when I was much younger that when darkness rises, many people serving it are more neutral than those fighting against it would like to believe. Some people made deliberate, horrible choices, and some people, whether this should be allowed as a defence or not, simply do as they’re told by those more powerful.”

He feels a new sense of respect for her. He can tell she knows her son fits into the former, and it hurts her, but she won’t deny the truth of it.

“I’m sorry about your son,” he quietly says.

She jumps, and then, she pats his shoulder. “I don’t fool myself into thinking he can ever be free. If he ever sees the error of his ways, Han and I will do everything we can to make sure he’s safe, and if possible, happy or, at least, not miserable, but he can never be a free man in this life. But he was once a good boy, and I can’t let myself stop hoping that one day his goodness will retake the place of the darkness.”

“I’m glad you managed to get free, Finn,” she continues. “And I’m even more glad you’ve decided to join us. So is Poe.”

“I think he expected me to,” he jokes.

Shaking her head, she says, “No. He wouldn’t have objected if you left after being affirming Rey’s safety or blamed you if you’d simply gone your own way after the crash.”

…

Rose Tico is sitting outside Poe’s quarters when he comes by, and he braces himself.

He likes Rose. It’s just-

Seeing him, her eyes widen, and her cheeks turn reddish pink. “Finn! Hi! I’m glad you and Poe made it back safely. And the baby, of course. All of them. It was very brave and kind what you did, especially bringing her in. She’s why I’m here. Pae-Pae and I are going to hang a kinetic sculpture for her. What do you think?”

“Breathe,” he reminds her.

To hear Rose tell it, he’s some great hero, and trying to explain how he’s not has yet to work.

“Right.” Taking a deep breath, she nods.

Studying the sculpture she’s holding up, he feels a sense of awe. “Did you make this?”

“Uh-huh. It’s based on the one Paige made for me when I was a baby.”

“It’s a work of art.”

He would have chosen something different to say if he’d known how big her eyes would get at this. “Uh, can I touch it?”

“Sure. It’s not breakable. Or I mean, it could break, but you won’t break it just by touching it.” She hands it to him.

It really is a work of art. There’s tiny white crystals, likely representing stars, the planet Coruscant, a model of the flier Poe flew to the induction facility, a blue lightsaber, a miniature of BB-8, and some pretty crystals of different colours.

“There’s a hole here for Poe’s necklace, if he wants.” She shows him.

“You made all of this? Today?”

“I made some of it today. Just Coruscant and some rearranging for the necklace. I knew she’d probably be human, but if not, I was working on some other planets that are harder to make. I didn’t think of his necklace until he was talking to Paige about taking it off at night. If it turns out she has family somewhere, I can make whatever planet they might be from.”

“Are you going to be an artist when the war’s over?”

She stares at him for a long moment. “I- uh. Well, I mean, I’m probably always going to be a mechanic, I love doing it, and it makes for a steady income in times of peace, but I’ll have more time to make things, too. Pae- Paige taught me, she’s naturally talented, but she only makes things when it’s important. I-”

She gives him a shy look. “I used to love drawing on paper. That’s-”

“I know,” he says. “It’s something I learned about-” During his training. “When I was little.”

“They’d save all my drawings, and I’d make little toys out of discarded minerals and rocks.”

“I don’t know if the stuff you make would make as much as the stuff you fix, but I know, if I had some credits and saw something as well made as this, I’d probably buy it,” he offers.

“But you don’t have a baby.” The words were automatic, he can tell, and now, she looks mortified at herself.

If he were more like Poe, he could probably put her at ease.

“No, but Poe does, for right now, at least. And if I were getting a sculpture for his baby, I’d rather it be something made with such care and thought than mass-produced by factory droids.”

Her smile is still shy, but it’s also a little more like the kind she gives her sister. “Even if he weren’t our best pilot, I knew Poe would be one of the best choices for the mission.”

Before he can respond, Poe appears.

Poe doesn’t have the baby, but apparently, Rose isn’t concerned by the way she simply asks, “Where’s our little princess, Poe?”

“Lt Connix threatened to have me thrown in the brig if I didn’t immediately put down the onesie I planned to put on her. She’ll be picking out the baby’s first outfit. Based on all the looks I was getting, I guess it was just my imagination that Commander outranks Lieutenant. Is this the sculpture for her?”

…

When Lt Connix comes back with the fussy baby in tow, he feels himself starting to relax in addition to being impressed.

He wouldn’t have thought she had enough hair, but Lt Connix has gotten her hair gathered in two tiny red buns with one on each side of her head to match the lieutenant’s own hairstyle. Besides this, the baby’s wearing a pretty light purple dress with tan trousers underneath and little black socks.

Taking her, Poe begins rocking her, and she immediately quiets. “She looks beautiful, Kaydel.”

Nodding, Lt Connix smiles at Rose. “It’s nice to see you out and about. Why don’t you join Paige with us tonight?”

“You should, Rose,” Poe says. “Me and the princess are turning in early, but Finn will be there.”

He was going to offer to help out with the baby, but now, he guesses he’s going to the base’s weekly singles gathering. It’s not strictly limited to unattached people, but most of the single people will gather in the dining hall, move the tables, and watch 2-D holomovies on a giant viewscreen. A lot of times, people end up singing, and sometimes, there’s dancing.

Neither Rey or he had planned to go when they first arrived, but Han and Poe had decided otherwise.

With Poe around, it’s fun, but he knows Poe spends a lot of time making sure of this instead of Poe dedicating himself solely to having his own fun.

“No, thank you. I’m working on something new. But thank you,” Rose quietly answers.

“The invitation’s always open,” Lt Connix says. “Poe, here’s some more clothes for her.”

“Here, hold her for a minute, please.” Poe hands him the baby. “Thanks. I’ll put them up. I know the sculpture will go back to Rose when we find a home for the princess, but will some of these end up going with her, too?”

Lt Connix’s eye widen when she takes in the sculpture, and she asks Rose, “You made this?”

“She’s a great artist,” he says.

Rose seems to get somehow smaller. “If it’s okay with whoever her family is, she’s welcome to have it. Um, yeah. It’s- I was happy to. Excuse me, I need to go back on duty. Commander Dameron, call me if there’s anything else I can do to help with the baby. Finn, nice talking to you. Lieutenant, thank you for the kind invitation, and you did amazing at picking out the baby’s first outfit!”

She quickly leaves.

And it suddenly hits him: Besides her sister, Rose doesn’t seem to be close to anyone on the ship. For all she seems to like him, she never tried talking to him until he ended up in the maintenance area a few weeks ago.

After the lieutenant leaves, Poe fixes the baby a bottle. “Something on your mind, buddy?”

“I’m not interested in Rose in anyway but as a friend, but I was thinking, maybe, I’d see if I could convince her to go to singles night with me. What do you think?”

Looking briefly surprised, Poe grins. “I think that’d be good for both of you. It’s not my place to tell you about it, but the Ticos went through a lot before they came here. Paige, she made friends easily, but Rose has always been shy and nervous around everyone. I know Paige worries, but she doesn’t want to push her sister.”

…

“A baby,” Rey repeats.

“Yeah.” He holds up the hologram of the baby in her first outfit.

Studying it, Rey frowns. “Do most human babies have faces like that?”

“No. We didn’t know it until we got back, but there’s something wrong with- maybe, that’s not the right word, but her brain is different. She’ll always be young in intelligence.”

“That’ll make it even harder for her to find a family.”

“There’s a chance she’ll have one soon,” he promises.

“Hey, Rey,” Han comes, “we’re- Is that one of the babies you and Poe rescued, Finn?”

He repeats the story of finding her and bringing her back via the flier.

“Huh. I’m surprised Poe managed to limit himself to one. Well, I imagine she’ll be a real beauty someday,” Han says, and he has no idea if this is genuine or sardonic. “Anyway, we’ve fixed lunch.”

They end the call, and he goes down to the maintenance bay.

Rose isn’t in her usual area, and he’s about to leave when faint sounds tug him towards a different part.

Soon, he finds himself looking down at Rose taking a blowtorch to a floating purple metal ball. When she turns it off, she sees him, and immediately moving in front of the ball as she takes her headgear off, she starts, “I’m working on-” Once it’s fully off, however, she stops. “Oh, Finn. Hi.”

Then, she puts her fingers against her lips. “It’s a secret, okay? Don’t tell, especially not Poe.”

He’s at a loss on how to respond.

Moving, she does something, and the ball opens. The inside is padded, and he suddenly remembers he’s seen these in holomovies before. “It’s a bassinet.”

She nods. “Paige, she’s not like Luke Skywalker or General Leia, but we’ve always thought she might be slightly force-sensitive. Before you came, she was on a mission, and the squad ended up on a planet. It doesn’t have a name in Basic. A merchant had this for sell, and she knew she needed to buy it even though she didn’t know why.”

“The antigrav didn’t work, and Poe helped her carry it and get it secured. Now, we know why. Do- do you think he’ll like it?”

“Yeah,” he assures her. “He’ll love it. And don’t worry, I won’t tell him or anyone else. What all are you doing to it?”

“Now that the antigrav’s working, I’ve replaced the padding with Gungan stretch-a-foam. It’s firm enough that it won’t conform to her, but when she’s a little older and rolling around, if she sticks her face against it, there won’t be a suffocation risk. Right now, I’m working on installing mist lighting. It can be set to automatically come on when the bassinet closes, but if she gets to where she sleeps better in darkness, that feature can be disabled.”

She motions for him to sit, and when they do, she guides it over. “After that, I’m going to make it where the sculpture can be in- and uninstalled. Finally, I’m going to-”

Bringing up images from her pad, she points to different places on the bassinet. “Paige and I have been researching antigrav bassinets, and some of the newer ones, they can easily be strapped to a chair or down on the floor or to a wall. It’s safer for the baby during space travel for it to be in antigrav mode, but if that fails or someone’s transporting it without a baby, then, it’s good to have the option.”

“Wow,” he says.

She smiles.

“I was wondering if you’d go to singles night with me. As a friend. Just as a friend.”

Her expression is a mixture of different things. “It’s nice of you to ask-”

“I don’t know if you’re part of ship meetings or not, but I know your sister is. She can tell you, I have a lot of trouble talking to people sometimes. Poe and Rey are the easiest. Poe and Han made us go after we first got here, and I really liked it, but Rey’s the type who really doesn’t do very well in parties and events like that.”

“If you really don’t want to go, I won’t push,” he continues. “But if there’s a reason- maybe I could help. Like Poe and Han helped me.”

She’s quiet, and he wonders if he should apologise or-

“It’s not just that she’s my sister. Paige is a shining star. She’s beautiful and funny and kind, and I have to believe we’re going to survive this war. When we first came here, General Organa welcomed us. She quickly trusted Paige, and I could see Paige making valuable connections. And I know I have a lot to offer, but um, being social, easily talking to people, stuff like that isn’t one of them.”

“I don’t want to be Pae-Pae’s little sister, the awkward little girl everyone feels the need to be gentle with. I want her to make friends, maybe even family, that will last past this war. After it’s over, I want us to make a life. For her to find a spouse who will take care of her, who she can have children with. And we’ll always be sisters, but if that means her leaving me, it’ll be okay.”

He finds himself putting an arm around her shoulder, and she makes a tiny press of movement against him.

“I’ve had my share of being awkward. Rose, I’m friends with Poe Dameron, one of the most social people on the base. He doesn’t feel sorry for you or think of you as an awkward little girl.”

She moves enough to give him a sceptical look.

“I’m serious. Mostly, he worries that you’re doing okay. Your sister, he and Paige are friends. If something’s wrong with her, he’ll know soon enough. You, though, no one but her really knows you. And yeah, they love your sister. Because of that, they want to know the most important person to her. Again, I’ve had my share of being awkward. But from what I can tell, Poe genuinely likes me.”

“He loves you,” she says with quiet assurance.

It makes him feel incredibly warm.

“Look, why don’t we go to singles’ night, and afterwards, if you want, I’ll help you with the bassinet. I mean, it’s going to be a surprise to him for sure, but if he thinks you’re suddenly using most of your free time to start getting to know people better, it’ll really be a shock when you give it to him.”

“I was, uh, thinking of just doing that anonymously.”

“No,” he says. “Sorry, but I’m not letting that happen. He, and maybe the baby herself when she gets a little older, deserve to know who did such a nice thing for them.”

A shy smile crosses her face. “Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. But I might leave pretty early.”

“Good with me.”

…

Poe is ‘flying’ the baby around the room when he comes back. “How’d it go?” Poe carefully readjusts her so that he can sit down.

“Really good. We’re going to singles’ night together. Um, but also: You do not think of Rose as an awkward little girl you have to treat gently for Paige’s sake.”

At the look Poe gives him, he knows he didn’t unintentionally say anything false to Rose.

“I don’t think of her like that,” Poe agrees. “Sure, she’s a little awkward and young, but she’s not a helpless youngling. She once stunned a spy who almost escaped with very valuable plans. And I can fly anything, but her skills with the engines have sure helped before.”

“Good.”

“That’s how she sees herself?” Poe looks- sad and sympathetic.

“I’m working on it. Mostly, she wants to make sure she doesn’t ruin any valuable relationships Paige might develop.”

“You need help, say the word.”

“I will. Thanks. How’s she doing?” He gently touches the baby, and she looks up with eyes so innocent part of him feels like crying.

“Good. Dr Kalonia should be back next week, and I’m getting a second opinion.”

He knows Dr Kalonia will be much more delicate, but he honestly doubts her opinion will be much different.

Then, he fully takes in Poe’s other words. “Rose stunned a spy?”

…

At the Tico quarters, Paige opens the door. “Hi, Finn. Come on in. Rose will be ready in just a minute.”

He does.

“Thank you for convincing her to do this. I always feel guilty going without her. I know she’ll have a lot of fun.”

Before he can say anything, Rose is coming out of the fresher, and- “Wow. You look beautiful.”

Rose blushes, and kissing her cheek, Paige nods. “Why don’t you and Finn go ahead? I’m going to check on Poe and the baby, make sure the sculpture’s doing okay.”

As she says this, she looks at him, and he gets her message loud and clear.

“Sounds good to me.” He offers his arm to Rose. “I heard you tasered a spy.”

“Poe told you that! He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

Grabbing her coat, Paige says, “It’s not a secret, em gái.”

She leaves, and Rose says, “Sister. On Hays Minor, some of the languages that had been around since before Basic was introduced survived, and our parents taught us Basic, but we grew up mostly speaking,” she says another word he doesn’t know, “the language of our ancestors.”

“You know more than one language?”

Until he met Rey and Han, the only people he’s ever known of who can do such a thing is certain high-ranking members of the First Order. Technically, most people can quickly understand droid, and he’s largely learned how to understand Chewie, but he’s not sure droid is as complicated as other non-Basic languages, and he definitely can’t speak Wookie.

…

When they go in, Lt Connix is dancing, but spotting them, she quickly comes over with bright eyes. “Rose, hey. You look lovely. Are you going to stay for a while?”

“Yes,” he answers. “I’m going to go get some punch. Do either of you want any?”

“That’d be great, thanks,” the lieutenant says.

As he’s getting the punch, he sees they’ve sat down together, and Rose looks fairly relaxed.

Before he can go over, however, a small group of people wanting to talk about Poe and the baby surrounds him.

…

He and Rose are almost finished with the bassinet, but there’s one problem: She actually needs the sculpture in order to make it where it can be installed.

Since they’ve ruled out stealing it and sneaking into Poe’s quarters when Poe’s away and locking themselves in, he thinks there might be a solution to this, but whereas this idea isn’t illegal and potentially treasonous, it’s still not what he’d consider a great one.

Finding Poe in the dining hall, he goes to sit down. “Where’s the baby?”

“General Leia’s showing her off. Did any of the former prisoners you’ve been talking to tell you that nine more induction facilities have successfully been shut down thanks to the info some of them and the people we helped rescue gave?”

“Nine,” he repeats.

He’s- nine facilities.

Smiling, Poe nods. “Over 1,000 people, Finn. A large chunk of them are younglings.”

Slumping down, he props his head on his arm.

Nine facilities. Over 1,000 people. So many younglings.

He knew some of the former stormtroopers, especially one of them, were genuinely cooperating, and some were hopeful, but he doubts any of them knew this. He’s going to need to see if he can get permission to tell them.

“Next time you’re nervous in a mission briefing, remember this.” Poe gently squeezes the back of his neck.

As much as he wants to keep thinking about this, right now, there’s one of those younglings here now.

“This is going to sound strange,” he prefaces.

Poe’s look is merely patient.

“Rose and I- need your quarters for about maybe an hour. And I can’t tell you why. It’s nothing bad, I promise you, it’s just a project that we’re working on, and I promise we won’t go through any of your stuff or make a mess.”

“You and Rose need my quarters for an hour?”

“We can find another solution if you say no, but it’d really help.”

Giving him an affectionate look, Poe says, “You two have gotten close, huh?”

“Yeah, it turns out she’s-” It suddenly hits him what Poe might be thinking- “No! If you’re thinking- Rose and I are just friends. And even if we weren’t, which we are, I wouldn’t ask to use your quarters for, um, sex or anything along those lines.”

He can’t completely suppress his shudder, and nine facilities with over 1,000 people is great, but this is also a good thing to remember anytime he has an idea.

“It wouldn’t be that strange,” Poe says.

Trying not to gape and aware he’s failing, he responds, “How would that not be strange? I know Rose shares quarters with Paige, but I have my own quarters that I don’t share with anyone. And doing that on someone else’s bed, who would do that?”

Obviously trying not to laugh, Poe shakes his head. “My quarters and bed both are bigger than yours, Finn buddy, and the answer to your second question is a lot more people than you think. Sheets wash. Do you think sleeping is all that’s ever been done on my bed?”

“No, but I did think you were involved all those times more was being done.”

“Someone else had those quarters and that bed before I was assigned them.”

“Huh.” Feeling stupid, he says, “Yeah. Some part of me did know that, but I guess I just- I’m changing the subject. Look, Rose and I are friends, and we’re working on a project that she doesn’t want anyone else to know about until we’re done, and it’d be really helpful if we could use your quarters for about an hour.”

“When? If it’s after ten, I’m taking either your bed or hers, probably yours, since Paige would likely object to me and the baby being in her quarters. If I feed her and we’re in bed by ten, the baby’s gotten to where she’ll let me sleep until twelve or one.”

“Just whenever you’re not going to be near your quarters for a while. Rose can get someone to cover her shift, and I don’t really have anything else to do right now.”

“Today’s good with me if it’s good with you two.”

“Great, I’ll go tell Rose.” He squeezes Poe’s shoulder. “Thanks, Poe.”

“No problem.”

…

By the time he and Rose get the bassinet completely finished, it’s after ten, and so in the morning, after Poe’s fed the baby and had breakfast himself, he says, “We need to take the sculpture to Rose.”

“You’re free to. Just let yourself into my quarters, but I-”

Paige comes over. “Prosperous day greet you both.”

He waves.

“Morning, Paige,” Poe says.

“I’m taking over your duties this morning. Rose needs you, our princess, and her sculpture to meet her in the maintenance bay.”

Rubbing his face, Poe makes a sound that’s a half-chuckle and half-groan. “And has this been cleared with Leia?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.” Poe looks at him. “Want to help me out? Otherwise, I’m going to need to make two trips.”

…

The baby makes a babbling sound.

Adjusting her, Poe says, “Yeah, we’re going a different way this morning. We’re going to go see Finn’s friend, Rose. She’s the one who made you your sculpture.”

The baby’s eyes land on the sculpture, and he steadies the miniature flier when it hits one of the crystals.

They get to Rose, and he sets it down. “Here, I’ll hold her now.”

“Here you go.”

Once the baby is settled in his arms, she smiles up at him, and he’s been told babies her age don’t smile for the same reason older people do, that it’s usually gas or just something their face does, but he can’t help but feel they’re wrong.

“Hey,” he softly says.

She continues smiling.

“Finn and I made you something. You don’t have to use it, but I thought you might like it.”

He looks up. “Rose made you something. I just gave her a little bit of help.”

“It was very valuable help.”

“Not that I’m not grateful, but why did you make me something? My birthday is still-”

“Here.” Rose brings the bassinet out, and he can tell Poe has no idea what this floating ball is. Then, she opens it, and Poe’s expression shifts. “It’s for the princess, too, if you want it for her. We’ve…”

Poe looks over at the sculpture, and he can see the moment Poe realises why they requested his quarters.

Moving over, Poe cuts Rose off with a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you. This is amazing, Rose.”

They put the baby in it, and aside from not fussing or crying, she doesn’t react in any particular way.

“Finn.” Poe hugs him.

Closing his eyes at how good it feels, he returns the hug.

“Thank you.”

“Glad you like it,” he manages.

…

“We should take the cradle up, see how it handles being strapped down,” one of the pilots says.

Based on Poe’s look, this pilot is lucky Poe doesn’t have a First Order mentality.

“Not with the baby in it, obviously,” the pilot quickly says.

Going back to eating, Poe says, “That might not be a bad idea. I’ll talk to the Tico sisters, see if it’s okay with them.”

He’s not sure, if Rose hadn’t had more advanced warning about the baby coming with them, she wouldn’t have already gotten Paige to do this herself.

“We could put a droid in it, see what the sensor readings says. That should give us some idea how a baby would fare if that happened,” the pilot continues.

“She’s probably not going to be here long enough for that to be a concern.” Rubbing her stomach, Poe’s smile is slightly sad. “I think the General might be close to finding her a home. But it’d still be good to know before she leaves what it can and can’t handle.”

Poe’s comm. dings with General Leia’s tone. “She wants to see me and the baby after lunch.”

They go to see her, and when they arrive, he realises Poe had said ‘me and the baby’ not ‘us and the baby’.

However, she smiles at them. “How’s our princess doing, boys?”

Picking her up, Poe waves her hand at General Leia. “Good. Is this about her?”

Suddenly, his stomach hurts, and for all he hopes it’s lunch not sitting right with him, something is telling him it’s bigger and worse than that.

“Yes. Poe- We haven’t been able to find her father, but DNA tests have found her mother.”

“Okay,” Poe says. “Is that good? Is she wanting her little girl back? Maybe I could fly her, the baby, to where her mom is.”

General Leia, he can feel, is struggling with what her words should be.

“Poe, she’s the one who- we have surveillance video from the base of who took the baby outside and left her.”

“It was the mother,” Poe flatly says.

“Yes.”

Taking a deep breath, Poe bounces the baby. “What’s going to happen to her?”

“She does want her daughter back.”

Poe starts to respond, but General Leia continues, “And her petition for custody has been granted.”

Setting the baby on the table, Poe’s voice is extremely controlled, “She tried to murder a baby, her own baby, and some,” he doesn’t need a translator to know these non-Basic words are not kind or flattering, “has said that the baby in question should go back to her would-be murderer?”

“Usually, in induction facilities, tests reveal when something is wrong when the woman is pregnant,” General Leia says. “Terminations are performed. They didn’t realise this baby was- different until she was born.”

“What does that have to do with anything? For the women who didn’t want terminations, I’m sorry for them, and if this woman wanted one, I’m sorry she wasn’t allowed it. The fact they were all forcibly impregnated, I can’t really imagine how truly horrible that is. Once a baby is born, though-”

“She was ordered to do it, Poe.”

General Leia doesn’t look at him, but he realises she’s hoping Poe will remember he did bad things, too, under orders.

“Don’t bring Finn into this,” Poe says. “He never left a baby out in the snow to die.”

“If I’d been ordered to-” he hesitantly starts.

“You’re on their side?” Poe glares. “Anyway, I don’t think you would have, but it doesn’t really matter. You didn’t. She did.”

She sighs. “Poe, fighting this-”

“You’re not going to. I couldn’t. I’m just the guy who kept her alive after the woman asking for custody tried to kill her. I’m trying to fight a war that those cowards in office refuse to publicly acknowledge is happening. But if you tried to fight you’d have a chance, and yet, you aren’t.”

“No one wants this baby dead.”

Poe outright scoffs. “The person who carried her outside, set her down in the snow, and left her there-”

“Let me finish,” she quietly says. “This girl is young. She was conditioned to serve the First Order since childhood. No one is going to just give her the baby and let her go off on her way. Her name is-”

“I don’t want to know.”

“She’s agreed to a voluntary stay in a hospital. She and the baby will both be monitored closely. She’s taking parenting classes. The baby will be removed if-”

“Was she even charged with attempted murder?”

He knows he has to say something now. “Poe, I murdered people when we were escaping, and in that Jakku village, part of me was tempted to join the others in blasting those villagers. I don’t like to think about any of this. But I did. I don’t know if this woman has or hasn’t killed, but if I can be free, if I can be trusted, if I deserve friends and love-”

“Stop,” Poe says. “It’s done.”

Poe brushes past him, but before Poe can open the door, General Organa manages to get in front of him. “Poe- Commander Dameron-”

“You’ve made your call, General Organa. I can’t stop this. But I’m not handing her over. I won’t.”

With this, Poe leaves with the empty bassinet following, and he doesn’t know if the baby realises something big has happened or not, but she starts fussing.

Sighing, General Leia goes over to pick her up. “Once he’s had some time, will you please talk to him? He’s not going to listen to me on much right now. The truth is, he could contest the ruling.”

“What would be his chances if he does?”

“I honestly don’t know. However, if he’s going to, he needs to leave with her. I’ll grant it.”

…

Poe is hiding.

This might not be the best or most fair descriptor, but he has no idea where Poe is, and even if the base doesn’t know exactly what happened, enough people have realised something big has happened. Whenever he asks, everyone radiates sympathy when telling him they don’t know where Poe is.

General Leia carries the baby around with a slightly harried look on her face, but despite the sympathetic glances she receives, he doesn’t hear any offers to take the baby.

Then, in the control room, there’s a beep, and they look down to see BB-8 next to the floating bassinet. The sculpture’s been installed, and there’s a stack of the baby’s folded clothes, nappies, baby milk, and her bottles.

General Leia sighs, and the baby stretches her hands towards the bassinet.

“Is he in his quarters,” she asks.

BB beeps in affirmative.

…

After opening the door, Poe asks, “Is the princess gone?”

“No. She’s still here.” Coming in, he shuts the door. “She’s scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. You could contest-”

“I’m not,” Poe says. “Leia is making a horrible choice, and maybe, I’m going to have to answer for this someday, but she’s still one of the best leaders the Resistance has. I have to keep following her. I have to keep fighting.”

He wants to, he feels the need to, say something, but he doesn’t know what.

“I’m not mad or upset with you, Finn, but don’t talk to me about either of them, okay? Leia and the baby. If you need to talk to someone, find someone else, Rey, Rose, whoever.”

Hurt and anger he doesn’t understand swirl through him, but all he says is, “Okay.”

There’s silence.

“I’m going to- are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. It’s okay. You can leave.”

Something tells him not to, but something else tells him it’s for the best.

Hoping he doesn’t regret it, he leaves.

…

A large chunk of the base shows up for when it’s time for Paige and a small selected crew to leave with the baby.

Making his way over to the small ship, he sees the bassinet has been strapped to one of the seats, and inside, the baby is sleeping.

“I’ll contact you once I land and before I leave, General.”

“Thank you, Mistress Paige,” General Leia softly says. “May the Force be with you.”

“May it be with you, too.” Turning, she gives him a soft smile. “I promise I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe.”

“I know. And so does Poe. Thank you.”

“Try to be there for him.” With this, she goes over to her sister.

After goodbyes are said, Paige gives General Leia one last nod before boarding the ship.

…

“He’s being selfish,” Rey declares. “He should be happy for the baby that her mother wants her back. Maybe, her father can be found, too.”

“I don’t think Poe’s being selfish. She did leave her baby out to die in the snow. Before the General told us this, Poe wasn’t upset. He asked if he could be the one to fly the baby to her mother.”

“She didn’t have a choice,” Rey says. “Or I suppose I shouldn’t say that. Everyone always has a choice. However, her choice was a very hard one. But thanks to you and him both, now, they can be a family.”

He’s always afraid she’s going to go back to Jakku one day to stay. He doesn’t know if he’ll go too or not.

She loves flying and droids and trying different foods. She’s one of the best fighters he’s ever met.

Once the First Order is gone, there are so many different planets in the galaxy. Even if she doesn’t want to travel the stars, she could find a much better planet than Jakku to settle down on and maybe create her own family.

He’s never been sure how to talk to her about this, and he’s thought about talking to Poe, but he isn’t sure if that would be right or not.

“How are things going with Han and Chewie?”

“They’re going to kill Master Skywalker if we ever find him. I’m not sure if he’s even in this system.”

“Remind me how many planets have you already checked?”

…

Poe is the type of person who can make almost anyone smile and laugh. He can walk into a room and soon be surrounded by people.

He knew this, but until now, he never realised how much the base gets it’s morale from Poe.

Poe has been quiet. He spends most of his free time flying or in his room, and he’s _polite_ to General Organa, but it’s an impersonal politeness.

If he didn’t know how close the two used to be, he’d’ve thought the two had never had a private conversation.

“Hey.” Rose sits down next to him. “Poe isn’t eating lunch?”

“He’s arguing with Lt Connix. Uh, it’s good. They’re arguing over some singer. I think Poe might decide to try stealing an Imperial officer’s personal holocube again,” and at her look, he realises that she’s unlikely to know about that plan, “yeah, before we went to the induction facility, Poe tried to sell that to the General, but it’s good he’s showing some spirit again.”

“How are you feeling?”

The question startles him.

“I know that you cared for the baby, too. We all did, but he’s taking all this the hardest. How do you feel, though?”

Taking a bite, he tries to figure out how to answer.

“I don’t know. I’m worried about him. I’m worried about her. If her mom can be a good mom, then-”

“It’s okay,” she says. “I think that everyone involved is trying their best. But if you don’t or if you’re just worried about saying the wrong thing, you don’t need to be.”

“Poe hates her. The mother. He won’t do anything against her, but he hates her. I know there must be people out there who hate me, too, for what I did to their loved ones.”

“How do you feel about the mother?”

“I don’t know. I thought about asking General Leia if I could have information on her, but I don’t know what good it would do.”

She squeezes his hand. “The First Order made me and my family slaves before they destroyed our planet. Only Paige and I escaped. And we were angry, me more than her, but we decided that, to honour our parents, we were going to fight to protect the things and people we loved instead of dedicating everything to destroying the things we hate or just trying to do whatever was necessary to keep ourselves alive and safe.”

“And Poe’s the same way. He’s hurt right now, but you’re still his friend. General Organa is still his friend, too. If you need someone to talk to while he’s working all this out, I’m here.”

Feeling a mix of gratitude, relief, and tiredness, he says, “Thank you, Rose.”

Leaning over, he kisses her cheek, and turning vaguely pink, she smiles. “That’s what friends are for.”

…

An alarm sounds through the base, and by the time he gets to the control room, Poe has on an inside-out shirt and is struggling to put boots on, but before he can say anything, Poe is pushing past him. “General! What in the hell is going on? If this is a drill, I’m mutinying! I finally stop waking up at one, and now this?”

“I just got here, and I need my beauty sleep more than you do,” she responds with a pat on Poe’s cheek as she makes her way to Vober Dand. “And your shirt is inside-out.”

He doesn’t know whether to chance laughing when the grumbling Poe gets stuck inside the shirt.

If Poe hears and identifies his laugh, Poe might decide to throw him in the brig during the mutiny.

“Poe. Hey.” Coming over, he says, “Be still, and I’ll help you.”

They get Poe’s shirt on properly, and finally, the alarms stop.

“We’ve received a distress signal from Admiral Holdo. Her ship was attacked. Thankfully, they’re safe for the moment, but the engines are completely shot, and there’s valuable cargo that needs to be transported along with the people.”

“The mutiny might still be on,” Poe snaps. “Why weren’t the people needed comm’d instead of getting the whole damn base up?”

There’s murmurs of agreement, but he feels compelled to point out, “You would have been one of those people.”

“It’s a lot easier and pleasanter to wake up to a comm. beeping than to a base-wide alarm blaring.”

This is a fair point, he’ll concede.

“Paige, you coming,” Poe continues.

She nods. “I’ll go get dressed. You should change, too.”

Seeing Poe is about to demand to know what’s wrong with what he’s wearing, he steps on Poe’s foot.

Looking down at the shirt declaring #1 Droid Dad and the green polka-dot pyjama bottoms, Poe says, “Good idea.”

…

Suddenly, there’s uneasiness flowing through the base.

“Poe, are you feeling what I’m feeling? I mean, there’s a change in the base. This is supposed to be a fairly routine mission, right?”

Finishing loading up the pod, Poe answers, “Yeah, it is. Don’t worry. I know what’s causing this, and I’m about to do something.”

“What’s causing it?”

“Me.” Then, Poe nods to BB, and BB beeps loud enough to get everyone’s attention. “If I could have everyone’s attention. Recently, General Organa made a call I disagreed with.”

General Leia shifts, but she doesn’t say or do anything to stop him.

“I don’t hide when I disagree with something anyone does. But just like everyone here, I know there’s a war going on, and our General Leia Organa is one of the best hopes we have of winning it. I’m loyal to her, and more than that, I’m loyal to the cause. The First Order is a danger to justice, peace, and freedom. It’s hurt all of us in one way or another. Most of us, it’s personally taken something or, worse, someone important and special from us.”

“If anyone here doubts my loyalty, you can privately talk to her either while I’m gone or after this mission is completed. For right now, though, I’m heading out to help our allies. May the Force be with you, General.”

Smiling slightly, she responds, “Safe travels, Commander Dameron. Bring everyone back in one piece.”

He finds himself and Poe hugging, and taking a deep breath, he closes his eyes.

There’s worry, the worry he always feels when Poe leaves, but there’s also hope and awe whenever he sees Poe fly away. Anyone who doubts Poe’s loyalty is a fool, or at least, anyone here, most of whom have known Poe longer than he has, who does is.

…

He watches General Leia’s face fall when she scans the exiting allies, and he wonders if the lost person was simply valuable or a friend of hers.

Carrying some luggage through, Commander D’Acy says, “Vice Admiral Holdo insisted on staying in her lifeboat.”

Sure enough, a tall woman with purple hair is holding Vober Dand’s hand as she climbs out of an escape pod, and to his surprise, Poe follows her out. Looking over at Poe’s X-Wing, Paige climbs out.

General Leia breathes a sigh of relief. “Of course.”

He and Poe share a nod, but Poe stays with an arm linked through Vice Admiral Holdo’s when General Leia goes to talk to her.

…

“Poe cannot have sex with Vice Admiral Holdo!” Rose plunks her tray down.

“Hello,” he says. “That- really isn’t our business. Besides, he’s clearly not bothering her.”

She’s practically sitting in Poe’s lap, and he hasn’t seen Poe look at someone with such softness and amusement in a long time.

“We must save him from himself,” she insists.

“Poe can be professional with people he’s slept with.”

“Kaydel!”

Lt Connix was heading walking past with a tray, but she stops, and he realises Rose just made her day by speaking to her. Before Rose can ruin it, he takes over with, “Why don’t you sit with us? Maybe you can help Rose. We were just talking about her concern for Poe.”

If he were Poe, that would have been a lot smoother, but giving them, especially Rose, a confused, hopeful smile, she sits down. “Poe? Did you hear that someone went to General Leia? I didn’t see anything, but-”

“No. Look,” Rose gestures.

“Hm. They’re certainly close. I guess that makes sense. I’ve heard Vice Admiral Holdo tries her best to never take anything seriously. They’d probably have some real fun together.”

“You two-” Rose shakes her head. “Excuse me. I’m going to find my sister. She’ll understand.”

Before Rose can fully rise, however, General Leia comes over. “Lt Connix, after you’ve both finished eating, I need to talk to you and Commander Dameron in private.”

Glancing at Rose, Lt Connix says, “I can eat later, ma’am.”

“So can Poe,” Rose adds. “I can get him-”

“I’ll go get him,” Lt Connix says.

After the two have left, he asks, “Why do you care who he-”

“I normally don’t, but he’s usually good about only being with people who are civilians or, at least, not directly under him in rank. If something happens to General Organa, Vice Admiral Holdo might take her place.”

“She’s above him.” At her look, he realises, oh, that’s the point.

“I wish the princess were still here,” she mutters.

He considers pointing out that her being here wouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent if Poe and Vice Admiral Holdo do decide to get together. He doubts Poe would have sex when the baby was in the room, but Poe could easily ask someone if they’d watch her for a bit and to not contact him unless it was an emergency.

General Organa gets everyone’s attention. “Vice Admiral Holdo and her fleet will be staying with us for a bit. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough rooms to give them all their own set of quarters. Some of them will be sleeping in the med bay for the time being.”

“Someone can have mine,” Poe says. “Is anyone willing to let me set up a cot in theirs?”

He stands up. “I’ll share with you.”

Grinning, Poe points. “Thanks, Finn.”

“Vice Admiral Holdo, my sister and I would be happy to share with you,” Rose pipes up. “She can sleep with me in my bed, and you can have hers.”

Whether Paige is happy with this offer or not, all she does is agree, “Yes, we could do that.”

“That’s very kind of you to offer,” Vice Admiral Holdo says. “Your sisters words did you justice.” She cups Rose’s blushing cheek, and he sees she has brightly painted nails.

“Amilyn will be sleeping in my quarters,” General Leia states, “but yes, thank you for your kind offer.”

“I don’t mind the med bay,” Kaydel says. “Someone-”

“No.” Paige shakes her head. “You can sleep in ours, Kaydel.”

Nodding, Rose goes over, and squeezing Kaydel’s hand, she declares, “It’ll be fun. Like an extended sleepover!”

…

There are times Vice Admiral Holdo reminds him of Phasma, and aside from knowing this isn’t fair to her, he’s outright confused by these feelings, because, objectively, there’s no comparison he can point to. They’re both tall, is the closest he can come up with, and this isn’t a shared personality trait or style of command.

Phasma would never go around a base barefoot or in beautiful dresses. She wouldn’t giggle with General Leia during lunch or dance from beginning to end of singles night.

Sometimes, though, Vice Admiral Holdo has a look in her eyes that makes him think of Phasma’s armour. She’ll calmly say something, and he can practically hear Phasma’s sarcasm.

Poe is still distant towards General Leia, but he’s more like his old self.

On a selfish note, he doesn’t want her to leave due to the fact he’s gotten used to falling asleep next to Poe at night. It’s _nice_.

Tonight, however, Poe’s probably not going to come back. Poe and a visiting Duros were flirting all throughout supper, and since the Duros has quarters on his ship-

He doesn’t want to be jealous. He doesn’t want to be annoyed.

Poe didn’t order him out of his own quarters, and when he was helping move Poe’s stuff, Poe told him, if he ever wanted Poe to get lost for the night, Poe would. He knows, if he spent the night in someone else’s quarters, Poe would be happy for him. Supportive.

Deciding maybe a chilled Daro root beer might make him feel better, he gets out of bed to go to the kitchens.

When he gets to the dining hall, however, he sees General Leia is sitting at a table with Holdo, and with a hand covering her eyes, the former looks frailer than he’s ever seen her.

I should go, he knows, but before he can move, Vice Admiral Holdo looks over.

“Hello, Finn,” she says.

General Leia looks over.

“Did Poe send you to sneak him some Jogans?” Holdo asks.

“No, ma’am. Sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be here.”

Coming over, she puts her hand against his cheek. “You should take him some jogan fruitcake. And then, you need to make some hard decisions. You were brave to leave, but now, you have to decide whether you’re going to keep fighting, or if it’s time to make your life elsewhere.”

“Amilyn, no,” General Leia says, and her voice is almost unbearably tired. “Finn doesn’t need to fight to stay.”

“It’d be nice if that were true, wouldn’t it? I certainly think so. He’s not a fighter, is he?”

Through his confusion, he wonders if he should be insulted.

“It’s always sad, no matter how necessary, to see one of them take up arms.”

“Finn,” General Leia says. “The Republic is officially at war with the First Order.”

“What? How? When did this happen?”

“About an hour ago. The First Order now has something even worse than a Death Star. They have a Starkiller, and they wiped out an entire star system.” She tells him which one. “And so, now, finally, the Senate is getting off their asses and doing what they should have done years ago. All it took was six planets, twelve moons, and an estimated 30 billion people. All the other people before those 30 billion weren’t enough.”

He starts to reach out, but he’s startled by Holdo’s hand curling around his wrist.

“Such kindness will only make it harder for her not to break right now. Here.” She gestures to a picnic basket with Daro root beer, jogan fruitcake, and some plates, cups, and silverware.

He’s heard other people commenting on how Vice Admiral Holdo can just randomly appear without a sound, and so, he’s not particularly surprised she can also leave, quickly assemble a picnic basket, and then, come back before he even realised she was gone.

“Um, thank you, ma’am, but Poe’s not here right now. He and someone from the star cruiser- he’s in their ship.”

Taking the cake, plates, and silverware out, she responds, “I wonder if this will be serious.”

“Of course, it won’t be.”

He must have some look on his face, because, smiling slightly, General Leia squeezes his hand. “I saw him in love once. There was no tragedy, but he’s not going to risk having to get over another case of heartbreak during a war. Or not this one. May it be the last.”

“May it be the last,” he echoes.

…

Announcements are made, and now that Vice Admiral Holdo’s has been summoned to testify before the Senate (he agrees with the belief it’s unlikely General Leia will be called due to the fact most of the Senate likely knows she’d cut them all down on a live transmission), her and most of her crew are leaving.

“Bet you’ll be happy to have your quarters back, huh?” Poe grins.

“I haven’t minded.”

Putting an arm around him as he sits down, Poe responds, “Yeah. Really. Thanks, Finn. I’m glad I was sharing with you instead of settling on some cot in someone else’s quarters or med bay.”

“Me too,” he says. “I mean, I would’ve slept in the med bay or in whoever’s room who was willing to share so that some of our allies could have quarters, but I’m glad it was you and me together.”

“Still, Vice Admiral Holdo gave me a bottle of Arkanian sweet milk, and we just got a shipment of Firaxan shark. How ‘bout you let me make you dinner as thanks? I can fillet the shark with my grandpa’s old recipe.”

“Did you and her-?”

Poe shakes his head. “I tried, but she turned me down.”

He wonders if he should offer sympathy. It’s probably good she did, given her rank, but at the same time, that must have been hard since she clearly genuinely likes him.

“We could go out by the lake,” Poe continues, and his eyes and smile are so soft and inviting.

Really, he’d like to know how anyone has ever managed to turn Poe down.

“That sounds great,” he agrees.

…

He’d expected Poe to use the kitchens, and then, them take the food down to the lake.

Instead, they take cans of chilled Daro root beer (it turns out the Arkanian sweet milk is part of the recipe), a bag of mounder potato rice, some herbs, salts, and peppers, leftover jogan cake, plates and utensils, and a portable stove that Poe claims is his and has just been in storage.

It’s not that he disbelieves Poe, it’s just, if Han Solo comes back demanding to know why his stove was taken out of storage, then, he’s not going to be surprised that there’s a disagreement of ownership that Poe didn’t feel the need to mention.

Poe- can cook.

He’d known this. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find this out if he hadn’t known it.

He didn’t, however, know Poe could prepare such a delicious smelling meal by a lake.

“You don’t need to look so surprised,” Poe cheerfully says. “Before he got too stiff in the joints, my grandpa used to take me camping. He taught me how to fish, how to grill and barbecue. Someday, if I have a daughter or son, I’ll see if it’s something they’re interested in learning.”

After he healed from the battle with Kylo Ren, he didn’t know how to be free. It was what he wanted, but he found he didn’t know what to do once he had it. He didn’t know when to eat and sleep and even use the refresher without orders. He didn’t know what to eat or how much or the correct way and amount of time he was supposed to sleep and if he should confess when he forgot and left the refresher without washing his hands.

Despite it being easier for her to adjust, Rey was largely patient with him, but Poe, right from the very beginning, it was as if he decided, yes, I brought him here, I’ll help him adjust.

It’s a beautiful night, and what he _wants_ is to sit out here, eat the food, and laugh and talk with Poe.

Being free, however, doesn’t mean there aren’t still times a person has to do something they don’t want to do, because, it’s necessary.

“Do you really hate her? The foundling’s mother? I know you told me not to talk to you about them, but- I need to know, Poe.”

“I try not to hate anyone.”

Poe hands fiddles with the stove settings before sitting down.

“But?”

“No, I don’t hate her. I hate what she did, and I disagree with her getting her daughter back. It’s true, I don’t know what most people, me, you, anyone, would have done in that situation, but none of us ever left a baby to die in the snow. And if you had, then- well, assuming the baby survived, you gaining custody is the one area where I wouldn’t be on your side, buddy.”

He nods. “Good. In this case, though, maybe, she’ll be a good mother. There’s a possibility, isn’t there?”

“I hope so. I really do.”

“This is kind of funny: There was a time when I was completely convinced that my parents, whoever they were, were dentists. Or had been, at least.”

And he wishes he’d never agreed to this supper by the lake. Poe has this look on his face that says Poe doesn’t find this funny at all.

“What convinced you of that?”

He shrugs. “I was a youngling in the First Order. I wondered about my parents, my family, where I came from.”

“Yeah, that’s not- Was there some vague memory, a feeling, or something that you know of causing this feeling?”

“Oh. No. I don’t think so. Dental check-ups were part of our life, and one of the dentists was nicer than the others. I think that was it. I remember looking up stormtroopers and looking at other younglings around me. That’s my first memory.”

“I don’t know what my first memory is,” Poe says.

It’d be morbid, he knows, if he asked what Poe wants to be the very last thing Poe remembers before death.

Rey or Poe, he’s not sure.

Sometimes, he thinks he wants to remember a bloodied, bruised pilot looking at him with curious, confused, non-condemning eyes before smiling. _We’re gonna do this_.

Sometimes, he thinks he wants to remember a beautiful girl standing above him with a spear pointed at him.

Then, there are other times he wants to remember Poe whole and genuinely carefree, or at least, as carefree as a person can be when they’re part of a Resistance against the First Order. He wants to remember Rey taking his hand when they were sitting in Han Solo’s ship.

“So, are you still interested in dentistry,” Poe asks with a grin.

He chucks a napkin at Poe’s head. “Oh, now, you find it funny.”

Shrugging, Poe props himself on his elbows. “I’d support you, buddy, if that’s what you wanted.I think it’s almost done.” Poe checks the stove. “Yeah. Here get your plate ready.”

Poe piles his plate before filling Poe’s own.

“Thank you.”

“If you don’t like it, I’m drowning you and telling everyone you just ran off.”

“I’m terrified of that.” Once the food cools, he takes a bite. “This is wonderful.”

Poe studies him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he agrees.

Stupid moons and their shining on Poe’s smile and soft eyes, he thinks.

“Some of the younglings we’ve rescued have already been returned to their families. There’s a possibility yours will be found, too.”

When he’d decided to let the Republic keep the DNA samples and fingerprints he’d submitted, a search was ran to see if any direct relatives could be found, and it didn’t come up with anything.

“Maybe. Rose said something after we got back from our mission about how she and Paige decided they were going to fight for the things they believed in so that the people they loved would hopefully stay safe instead of being angry over what all that they’d lost. They want to destroy the First Order, but they don’t necessarily want everyone who was part of it killed.”

“And, um, after Jakku, I made a decision that I wanted to be someone else. I didn’t want to hurt the people who’d hurt me. I didn’t want to bring the First Order down. I just wanted to be free. If that meant hurting people to escape, I was willing to, but I was hoping to leave without having to.”

Seeing Poe’s about to say something, he holds up his hand. “I didn’t have much of a plan. I didn’t even think of getting myself a name. I just wanted to get as far way as possible so that I’d never be ordered to kill innocent people again.”

“But now, I’m Finn, and even though I’ll probably never be as good as Rose in engineering, I’m turning into a decent mechanic. I’m going to help bring the First Order down. Sometimes, I’m still angry, and sometimes, I’m sad. I’m different from Rey, though. She’d give almost anything to know who her parents were and why they left her, and I wish so much that she could find out, because, maybe, then, she could be happy.”

“I don’t need to know who I was,” he finishes. “If I ever find out, that might be nice, or it might be bad, but I’m still going to try to just be Finn. Live free after the war.”

Taking his hand, Poe squeezes. “I hope, after the war, if we part ways that we meet again soon.”

“Me too.”

Knowing this will probably make Poe let go, he continues, “Do you think you’ll ever meet the baby when she’s older?”

He was right, but at least, Poe does give another gentle squeeze first.

They eat in silence.

“If she’s still alive, if she can still be found, maybe.”

Confusion fills him. “The doc said she was in good health. Are you afraid her mom will take her to-” He supposes there’s a whole galaxy the mother could take her daughter through once they’re discharged from the hospital.

“Who knows what she’ll do?”

“You don’t really think she’d try to hurt her again, do you?”

“I hope not.”

“If she does, and I really hope she doesn’t, we’ll try to figure something out.”

Guilt suddenly fills him, but then, he realises he doesn’t feel guilty.

There are times Poe knows what he’s feeling, and there are times he has an idea Poe might be feeling things that Poe isn’t making clear to other people.

“What’s to figure out? I look at her, and I saw a baby. Everyone else sees a baby who’s different.”

“That’s not- Look, all human babies look strange to me. You know this. And they kind of scare me, her included. I still sometimes have trouble taking care of myself. If you weren’t there, I would have been yelling at General Leia until a ship or pod hyperspaced in to take her, and it wouldn’t have mattered what she looked like. But I liked holding her, as long as someone else was nearby, and Rose and Paige and Kaydel, they all loved her, too.”

He knows for sure Rose does. Paige and Kaydel, at least, saw an innocent baby before anything else involving her.

“And yet, she’s back with the person who left her to die,” Poe responds.

“Do you- do you think, if she didn’t have more chromosomes than normal that the petition would have been denied? If she was left out for some other reason?”

“We should get back soon.” Poe starts gathering things up.

“Poe.”

Sighing, Poe glances over. “Remember that conversation we had about shame while you were healing?”

He nods.

“This is one of those times. I could fight a horrible decision on a Core world, or I could keep fighting in the Resistance. And I made my choice, and I’ll follow through, but the truth is- What in the hell am I going to tell any kid I have if they ever ask, ‘Will you always try to help me?’ If they ask if I’d still love them if they were born with something wrong or, if they are born with something wrong, if they ask if I wish they’d been born different.”

“You’re- I think you’re feeling guilty,” he says. “But please, help me out here, because, I don’t understand why. You could have just put the baby in a chair and told BB to watch over her, but you were going to sleep on the floor so that she could have your bed. We went on the mission together so that we could help younglings.”

“And even believing that giving her to the woman who left her to die was wrong, I decided to let it happen,” Poe says. “Guess this war being fought by normal people against perfectly healthy enemies is more important than a little girl with extra-chromosomes.”

I have to talk to General Leia, goes through him.

He doubts she knows this is where Poe’s feelings are. Hopefully, once she does, she can do something.

All the things that are true, the things he wants to say, he knows Poe wouldn’t take them to heart.

“I don’t think Snoke is either perfectly healthy or normal,” he says.

Giving a startled laugh, Poe looks over. “You have a point there.”

“Did you know him before Ren turned?”

“No. I knew about him, and I saw him a few times on the cube, but I never really had an opinion on him. My dad didn’t trust him, but since Leia did, he usually didn’t bring him up much. Ben, I thought he was pretty indifferent, too, that Snoke was just one of his mom’s political friends.”

“From what I know of him, he was pretty calm. It was Ren who was always using the force on people.”

“That sounds about right. One of the few good things that my dad did have to say about him was that, in times of danger or disquiet, Snoke could be counted on to keep his head and give logical, practical advice on how to keep things from boiling completely over.”

“What’s it like to have nerves so calm?”

Poe gives him a surprised look. “You’re asking me that?”

“Of course. I’ve been flying with you. I’ve seen you fly, and you’ve been helping me learn how, even after I almost crashed into that tree. I saw how you were when Ren captured you, and even after you were tortured, you were the one who kept me steady during our escape.”

“Well, first,” Poe grins, “my nerves are never calm in the sky. It’s just not fear making them jump. Usually. And there’s this quote about bravery being afraid but doing something anyways, and that fits you, buddy, more than it does me. I don’t want to die, but I mostly stopped being afraid of that a long time ago.”

Moving closer, Poe brushes a shoulder against his before re-catching his eyes. “You, though, you weren’t just afraid of death. You were all alone and lonely for years, you didn’t know anything besides the First Order, and still, you decided taking a chance with the unknown was worth the risk.”

He’s not lonely anymore, but- in this moment, more than anything, he wants to kiss Poe. It wouldn’t be right to just do it, but he could ask. At most, Poe would say no.

In his head, it’s simple, but in some ways, this is even more terrifying than escaping the First Order was.

Just ask, he tells himself. Just ask.

Be brave.

“Poe-”

BB-8’s chatter fills the air, and looking over, he sees the droid approaching.

He doesn’t know whether he’s more annoyed or relieved.

BB tells them General Organa would like them to come back in for the night.

…

Since General Leia’s still so busy he decides he’ll see if dinner might be a good time to talk to her about Poe.

For now, Poe and some of the other pilots have agreed he can try to do one of their simple training exercises up in the sky with them.

He’s just about to close his pod when he hears Paige calling, “Commander Dameron!”

Poe pauses in getting into his X-Wing.

“I’m relieving you of your duties. General Organa has a special guest she wants you and Finn,” she glances over, “to meet in her office.”

“Me?” He asks.

She nods.

“A special guest? Why does she want me? Or Finn, for that matter?”

Coming over, Paige places a hand on the X-Wing. “I’ll take good care of her, Commander.”

“Who is this guest? Some bigwig from the government?”

“I wasn’t given a name, but I doubt this person is government.”

Sighing, Poe motions for him.

Once they’re headed to the office, he wonders aloud, “Do you think Rey and them might be back?”

“Probably not, but who knows? Sorry you didn’t get to go up today.”

“Maybe later,” he says. “Was she at breakfast this morning?”

“Paige?” At his nod, Poe shrugs. “I don’t remember seeing her, but then, I don’t remember her being at the send-off last night either. Maybe she and someone got together for something.”

If so, he just hopes anyone potentially serious is someone who won’t make Rose too anxious.

They get to the office, and when General Leia opens the door, he’s struck by how tentative and tired she looks.

Poe starts to say something, but everything stops when there’s a coo, and oh. The baby’s back. The bassinet is sitting on General Leia’s desk, and the baby’s-

Poe’s face is beautiful and a little painful. “She’s gotten bigger,” he whispers.

“Yes,” General Leia wryly agrees. “Babies have a tendency to do that.”

Going over, Poe smiles down at her before looking back up at General Leia. “Is it alright if I hold her?”

“Of course.”

Picking her up, Poe adjust her. “Hey, sweetheart. I wonder if you’ve missed me. Do you even remember me, huh?”

“It’s a possibility,” General Leia says.

“What’s her name?” Poe asks.

She shifts at this, and he sees her face has become- uncomfortable? “She doesn’t have one yet.”

“Still? Is it some sort of culture thing, not naming a baby until a certain age?” Poe looks between him and her, and he shrugs.

He doesn’t know what age future stormtroopers are assigned their destinations.

“No. Well, I’m sure there are some cultures that wait until a certain age, but Poe, the biological mother has terminated her parental rights.”

Poe sets the baby down, and he knows it’s to look her over, but the baby makes it clear, regardless of reasons, she is not happy about this. Quickly picking her back up, Poe responds, “Did something happen? With the war being official-”

“She didn’t do anything to hurt the baby,” General Leia says. “And the process was started before the Starkiller attack. From what I understand, she simply realised she wasn’t ready to be a mother.”

“That wasn’t something she realised when she was leaving her baby to freeze to death?”

“Poe, she’s seventeen.”

Shock and something close to sympathy cross Poe’s face. “That young?”

“Yes.”

“What’s this little one doing here? Who brought her?”

“A trusted pilot. As for what she’s doing here, she needs a home. A family. There is a list of people who are interested in adopting her, but someone needs to make a decision about who would be best for her.”

Princess Leia must have been unnerving to many people, crosses his head. No wonder she and Vice Admiral Holdo became such good friends.

“That makes sense. Who’s her appointed guardian? Are they here? Coming?”

“She doesn’t officially have one yet. I had her brought here to offer you that role.”

“What?” Poe sets the baby down. “That would be ridiculous.”

He picks the baby up, and she stops her scream-crying, but she still squirms around fussing.

“You were her unofficial guardian when she was brought in.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Yes, you were. But if you’re sure, I’ll have arrangements made for her to be transported to a group home.”

“Poe,” he says, “maybe-”

“It’s for the best.”

“How is this for the best?” General Leia asks, and her tone isn’t angry, but there is a tinge of exasperation to it.

“Amilyn called me an impulsive, trigger-happy flyboy. You once said that you shuddered to think of the day I had kids. Is that-”

Poe isn’t lying. Poe wouldn’t make such an accusation, no matter how angry or upset he is, if it weren’t true.

However, going by the look on General Leia’s face, she’s genuinely confused.

“I would- Poe! I would never say such a thing.”

“You did,” Poe responds. “When me and Ben crashed that speeder? You refused to believe it was faulty engine recoil responsible, drug us to the hospital for an intoxication test, and when I said that, someday, it’d be a funny story I’d tell my kids, you said, ‘I shudder-’”

“Poe-” He starts.

“I’m sorry for that,” she quietly says.

Poe shrugs. “It didn’t bother me. My point is: If you had another kid or a grandchild, would you want me deciding what happened to it in the event of you, Han, and Luke dying?”

“I could think of worse options,” she answers. “I’ll see about finding some besides the bassinet for the baby to sleep in. Dr-”

Giving her an unfair look, Poe says, “She can sleep with me like she did last time.” Bouncing the baby, he continues, “Isn’t that right, princess? If that doesn’t work, we’ll find something else to put in my quarters. Healthy babies shouldn’t sleep in the med bay.”

General Leia’s expression matches how he feels.

…

Once word gets out, almost everyone takes their time cooing over the baby until, showing a distinct lack of approval of the clothes the baby came with, Lt Connix takes her to get her another wardrobe befitting a princess.

He realises he should probably ask Rose where exactly the clothes from the first time came from and where these news one will.

When he and Poe get lunch, he can’t help but ask, “Why are you refusing?”

“If someone charged you with deciding the future of a helpless baby who can’t even speak for herself, would you agree to do it?”

On the one hand, no. He’d do what Poe thinks best: Hand her over to the Republic government so that someone with experience in dealing with orphaned babies could do something.

“It’s different in this case. Look, I care for the baby. I want the best for her. But you did more than take care of her while we were in the flier. You love her, Poe.”

“That doesn’t mean- Maybe I’m being unfair the biological mother, but yes, I expected Leia to contest the decision for the baby to go to that particular woman. I didn’t want the baby to go to a group home, but if that had been decided, I wouldn’t have objected or expected anyone else to. There are people I wouldn’t want her to go to, but she isn’t mine, Finn.”

“We’re not blood. I don’t have a kinship with her blood kin. I rescued her, I took care of her, I did my duty. Me expecting her to go to someone who’s never tried to kill a baby, especially when the baby in question is her, shouldn’t translate into me making sure a huge decision that she’ll have to live with for the rest of her life.”

Feeling the need to argue, he nevertheless recognises it likely wouldn’t do any good.

…

After breakfast, General Leia asks to talk to him privately.

“My brother, Luke, has been found.”

“Congratulations. I mean, uh, that’s good, right?”

Smiling, she nods. “Yes. He, Han and Chewie, and Rey should be here soon, but it turns out, Luke is bringing some other people along. I trust his judgement, but to be safe, I’m asking you not try to contact Rey. I know you wouldn’t intentionally do anything to compromise the Resistance, but until I can make a judgement myself about these people, I don’t want to risk them finding out anything that could possibly be detrimental.”

“That makes sense. But you know for sure that she’s okay, General? You’ve seen and talked to her?”

“Yes. Han’s unlikely to admit it, but he’s grown dreadfully fond of your girl.”

“Well, Rey isn’t mine, but good. I won’t try to contact her.”

“Thank you. She should-”

Alarms blare, and why in the kriff are… He finds himself following her, and outside, there’s a First Order ship being held back by an X-Wing and several other defence pods.

“Forget munitions,” he hears Lt Connix say, “just locate every organic lifeform within a hundred mile range and report. General-”

“I’m not getting on that!”

He sees Lt Connix is trying to physically force General Leia into an escape pod.

“I’m here!”

Taking a breath, he focuses on Poe heading towards an X-Wing with BB.

“Where’s the baby,” General Leia asks, and right, the baby is-

“She’s with Rose.” Poe looks at him. “Finn, get-”

“I’ll make sure the foundling is evacuated,” he promises.

Poe looks ready to argue, but then, giving a nod, he gets into the X-Wing.

“Doctor,” Lt Connix’s voice grabs his attention.

“Med bay is clear,” Dr Kalonia says as medical equipment is loaded onto a pod.

 _I need to do something. I can’t just stand around_.

Then, he sees Rose with her Taser baton at the ready coming in with the bassinet.

“Threepio, you’re the pilot,” General Leia says.

Getting into a pod, C-3PO responds, “Yes, General. You can count on me, I assure you.”

Lt Connix opens the bassinet, and noting in relief the fact the baby is sleeping, he finds himself looking at Rose’s necklace hanging from the sculpture.

“No.” Directing the bassinet into the pod while undoing it, Lt Connix puts it back on Rose as she successfully manoeuvrers Rose in.

“I can help-” Rose exclaims.

Pressing her into a seat, Lt Connix gets the restraint harness on her. “If something happens, you need to take care of her for Poe. Katie will help you.”

He hadn’t noticed, but R2-KT is in the pod, and at this, she chirps before going over to where the droid restraints lift and suspend her.

As soon as the lieutenant is out, the pod door is closing, and it and several nearby ones lift off.

“The princess and her Rose are in the air,” General Leia announces into her comm. “Be ready to cover and defend. The baby’s survival is one of our top priorities.”

Watching the other pods flying around Rose’s pod, he takes a deep breath, and then, asks, “General, Lieutenant, what can I do?”

…

He’s helping the droids monitor the fight going on between the defence squads and the First Order ship in order to direct pods safely to the ship when Rose’s voice comes through, “Our princess is secure.”

“Good. Finn, it’s time for you to leave,” General Leia announces.

“And you, General Organa,” Lt. Connix says.

“I’m not-”

“General, you never let your husband or brother treat your decision to take risks as invalid. I’m making a call. You need to get to that ship so that you can continue making even bigger calls.”

He and General Leia are all but shoved into a pod.

…

Thankfully, Lt Connix and everyone else made it aboard, and now, they’re floating above Chandrila.

Feeding the baby, Poe looks at him. “I think you’re going to like it here.”

“Yeah, uh, about that.” He doesn’t think sticking around- after he thought Poe died, when he met Rey, he supposes he had this idiot notion he’d just follow her around. The fact she might go back to Jakku or stay with Han Solo and Chewbacca means he likely won’t.

Now, Poe isn’t just Resistance, Poe is part of the Republic’s war against the First Order, and for all he’s been a mechanic for the last few months, earlier showed he’s just an ex-stormtrooper who stood around when people he respects and cares for were fighting for survival.

He has better aiming skills than most of his old team did, but he never was much of a stormtrooper. He’s given all the information he can to the Resistance; there’s nothing more he can truly offer.

Figuring out how to get a pod or small ship is probably the best thing to do for both him and them. Obviously, the baby shouldn’t be judged for needing people to fight and possibly die to keep her safe, but if someone dies to keep _him_ safe-

“Finn, buddy, I appreciate that you’re going through a lot right now. Believe me, I do. But you’re alright. You’re here with us, where you belong, and I need you to not do anything rash right now. Because, I might be about to do something rash, and I need you to either tell me to do it or say, No, you had the right idea before, stick to it.”

Going over to sit by Poe, he asks, “What’s going on?”

“When I heard the alarms, I didn’t know where you or Leia were, but I had a good idea of where Rose was. I should lay this out to her later. I knew she’d do everything possible to keep our princess safe. When the General offered me the opportunity to choose where this one went, I didn’t trust myself to make such a decision. But maybe it’s something I can do. Assuming the offer’s still open.”

“I’m sure it is,” he says, and what he means is: If he has to beg General Leia, he will.

Poe sets the baby in the bassinet. “I need you, Finn. I know you haven’t bonded as deeply with her, but her life is down to you. You found her. You brought her to the flier. And I need someone I can trust to help make sure I make the best possible choice.” Poe offers his hand.

Taking it, he says, “I’ll help you, but the final decision is going to be yours.”

Poe nods.

“You know,” he continues, “you could be her father.”

“No.” Looking down with a slightly sad smile, Poe says, “It’s a tempting thought, but when the First Order came to prominence, I decided I’d try my best not to have any kids until after they were gone. Then, I decided I was going to try to fight them for as long as I can. If I got someone pregnant and they wanted to have the baby, I’d try my best to make it work, be a father and have a good relationship, even if it wasn’t a partnership, with the other parent.”

“But for her, I want her to have a real family on a nice, safe planet. I don’t want there being a risk of her mom or dad being badly injured or killed in the line of duty.” Sighing, Poe leans back. “I hope more than anything this evacuation was the first and last she’ll ever have to be part of.”

“Me too.”

…

“Poe!” Rose comes over to them.

“Hey, Rose,” Poe greets. “We’re looking for the General.”

“She’s in the canteen. Um-” Tentatively, she holds out her hand, and in it is a model of D'Qar. “I’m not sure-”

“Thank you, Rose,” Poe says. “I know she won’t remember it, but it’s part of her history. But,” leaning down to pick the baby up, “I’m gonna need you or someone else to install it.”

“Of course!” Touching the giggling baby’s cheek, she takes the bassinet off with her.

They find General Leia and Lt Connix leaving the canteen.

“If you want to talk to Rose, she’s making modifications to the bassinet,” Poe says.

“Thanks.” Kaydel leaves.

“Finn, Rey and the others will be here soon.” Holding up her wrist, she adjusts the tracker. “They contacted me soon after they realised our location had changed.”

“Thank you for telling me. Poe has something to talk to you about.”

The baby reaches out, and smiling, General Leia takes her headgear off. “You’re still a bit too young for jewellery, little princess. We’ll see about finding you some proper toys, though.”

Laughing, the baby mashes her fingers into the hat.

“About her. Is the offer for me to assume temporary guardianship still open?”

“Finn, would you be so kind as to take the baby for a minute?” General Leia digs a datapad out of one of her pockets.

He does.

“If you do this, you’re making a commitment, Poe, to find her a good home and to provide for all her needs until it’s found. This isn’t a decision you can just decide to revoke if there are difficulties. There’s a possibility you’d need to take on much lighter duties, and there’d be times when you have to deal with forms and bureaucracy. In regards to selecting a family, I can’t tell you what to do, but I would hope you’d meet with potential candidates and do more research than what’s in the files given.”

“I understand,” Poe softly says.

“Then, sign here, and place your thumbs here.”

Poe does.

Smiling over, she says, “Congratulations, little one. You have one of the best guardians a foundling could ask for.” Turning back to Poe, she adds, “You should take her to Harter soon.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

…

Dr Kalonia smiles when they come in. “Hello.”

“Doc,” Poe greets. “We’re here to get our princess checked up.”

“Where’s General Organa?”

“Legally, I’m her temporary guardian now,” Poe says.

Tapping on a screen, Dr Kalonia nods. “Good. Do you want Finn in here right now?”

“Yeah. He’s going to help me find her, her home.”

“Okay, well, come here, your highness. Yes, I imagine General Organa herself wasn’t as cute as you when she was a princess.” Lying the baby down, she scans her. “The good news is: She’s up-to-date on all her immunisations and vaccinations.”

Trying to keep the dread inside under control, he asks, “There’s bad news?”

“Nothing too bad,” she gently answers. “She’s not underweight, but she is at the lower end of percentile. She’s still too young for me to recommend other liquids or solid foods, even mashed. There’s a higher-calorie formula,” she gives a name, “I think she might respond well to.”

Poe nods. “I’ll get her some tonight.”

“The other news is fixable, but it requires a choice: The baby’s eyesight is bad. She can make out bright colours and is able to perceive light changes, but from my scans, that’s about all she is. If she were able to talk, she’d likely report that everything else is a blur to her.”

“When we got her, she followed my hand,” Poe says.

“Things have changed. Untreated, her eyesight is going to slowly get worse as she ages. Now, surgery is one option, but if you’d be more comfortable with a milder treatment, I can get her a pair of lightweight but durable glasses frames that will wrap around her head in whatever colour you want by the end of the week and add lenses to them. When she’s older, optical drops might be an option for her.”

“What about bacta?”

“Bacta regenerates. Her eyes themselves are healthy, but they’ve gotten into a position that makes them unable to perceive and transmit images properly. Bacta won’t be able to move them.”

Sighing, Poe sits down, and he follows suit.

“If we do glasses now, would surgery still be an option when she’s older?”

“I can’t give absolute guarantees, but I’d say yes. She isn’t going to go blind without surgery, at least, not while she’s still young and barring any unforeseen accidents, of course.”

“What all would surgery involve?”

“To keep it simple, the surgeon would put her under general anaesthesia, slightly reposition her eyes in their sockets, and use lasers to further correct the problems causing her poor vision.”

Looking at the baby mouthing at her fingers, he finds himself hoping Poe chooses glasses. For an adult, none of that sounds too bad; he’d definitely rather have surgery than have to deal with those strange things called glasses, but using lasers on such a tiny baby, possibly even using a scalpel-

“If she has the surgery when older, there’s a chance localised anaesthesia can be used instead, though, she might remember any potential discomfort much more clearly than she would if done now.”

“Would it change how her eyes look,” Poe asks.

“Temporarily. There’d be some swelling, redness, and her eyes might simply look strange, but once she healed, they’d be back to normal.”

Poe takes a breath. “I know there’s always a risk of death when it comes to surgery. How high would we be talking?”

“Less than 1%.” She gives them a sympathetic smile. “I wish it were lower, but yes, there is a risk.”

“And the glasses, they wouldn’t be dangerous?”

“Right now, the biggest danger would probably be them getting lost. When she’s older, there’s a chance they’ll present more problems, but unless she has an extreme discomfort to them, they should do well. They’d be too big and too strong to present a choking or cutting risk, and as long as you take them off before she sleeps, it’s unlikely she’ll be able to get them off.”

“Okay,” Poe says. “I’m going to go with glasses, but since I really don’t want to end up in the brig, Kaydel will be picking out the frames.”

Dr Kalonia chuckles. “Tell her to stop by. Have you started tummy time yet?”

Thankfully, Poe looks just as confused as he is.

“Putting a baby on their stomach during waking hours is good for their development. Though, some babies really hate this. Do you want me to show you?”

“That’d be great,” Poe answers.

She carefully puts the baby stomach-down, and jerking her arms, the baby laughs.

“Oh, good. I don’t think she’ll be one of them,” the doctor says. “You should do this two or three times a day under careful supervision, but for right now, I’d say limit each session to no more than ten minutes, and it’s fine to do less. As she gets older, the time should increase.”

“She’s not old enough to suddenly start crawling, is she,” he feels compelled to ask.

“Not for another few months, at least. However, she should be able to start lifting her head on her own soon.”

Poe’s grin at this is almost unbearably beautiful.

…

Lt Connix picks out a pair of bright blue frames.

“Well, we’ll never lose her, that’s for sure,” Poe comments.

At her glare, he quickly says, “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Closing the hologram, she continues glaring. “You could care more about how she looks.”

“She looks beautiful, and I always make sure her clothes are clean and fit.”

“Fashion is important to many girls, Poe.”

“Uh-huh. And if, say someone was making Rose feel bad for her clothes, would you go after them or try to get her to change her style?”

“No one’s said anything mean to Rose,” he adds with the desperate hope this will be enough to spare the ship from the lieutenant deciding that literally forcing someone into the brig might be an option worth serious consideration.

“Hello, you three,” General Leia’s voice breaks in. “Oh, sorry. You four.”

The three of them stand.

“We’ve gained permission to start letting members take short trips down to the surface. Poe, take the baby. She deserves some fresh air and sunshine.”

“I want Finn to come, too.”

He starts to protest, but she nods. “Naturally. And Lieutenant, I think you should get the privilege, too, after all you did. Take a friend.”

“Respectfully, General, I’d argue Rose and Paige should get first privilege. Rose took care of our princess during the attack, and Paige risked her life so that we could all escape.”

“Take two friends,” General Leia responds.

…

He, Poe, the baby and the Tico sisters, Lt Connix, several other selected people, and a few selected droids fly down, and he tries not to let himself lapse into staring.

There’s a possibility Rey might love Chandrila. It’s much milder in weather than D’Qar, there’s so much greenery, and there are endless buildings and people bustling around.

They go to a teahouse, and everyone looks at him as if he’s just a normal person. Not an ex-stormtrooper. Even Poe and Rey don’t look at him with no recognition of what he once was.

“Finn, what do you want?”

He realises Poe’s finished ordering. “Oh, sorry. Moogan tea, please.”

Smiling down at the baby, the cashier asks, “Is this one y’alls?”

“Sort of,” Poe answers. “We saved her from a First Order induction facility, and until a good home can be found, she’s stuck with us.”

Poe hadn’t worn his uniform, but with this, they’re almost immediately surrounded by admirers of the Resistance, and watching Poe easily handle this, getting everyone to pretty quickly disperse without causing any hurt feelings, he doesn’t understand it, and he’s glad there’s never been a leader with goals like Kylo Ren’s who had Poe’s charm.

Once everyone’s gone, and after Poe takes the baby into the restroom to change her, they sit down in a quiet corner.

“When it comes to the baby’s future parents, what sort of people are you thinking?”

“Is it going to be parents for sure, or do you think a single person might be okay?”

“I’m not discounting the possibility, but I tend to think it’s better if a kid has two parents.”

…

Back in the ship, they sit down in Poe’s quarters to play with the baby with the toys bought.

“Earlier, in the teahouse, how do you do that? You did it with me when we first met. You know how to-” He doesn’t want to say ‘manipulate’, but Poe can certainly influence people.

“Part of it’s just my personality. My mom, she gave birth to me alone, and she always swore that I came out laughing instead of crying. But when I was a kid, I almost never took myself seriously. I wanted to make people laugh, and if it was at me instead of with me, that was usually alright. I’ve always watched people closely.”

Sadness crosses Poe’s face. “Uh, when I was thirteen, me and Ben, we had this horrible teacher, Mistress Samson. She really shouldn’t have been a teacher. She liked embarrassing students, played favourites, and on top of that, she was a human superiorist. We could of told his parents and my dad, but instead, we worked together to publicly humiliate her.”

Shrugging, Poe picks up another toy to hand to the baby when she drops the one she’s holding. “I still don’t regret that. But that’s when I really realised, if I wanted to, I could really hurt people. That I could get my way on a lot of things.”

He wonders if this is when Ben Solo realised the same.

“But you still wanted to make people laugh, to make people who weren’t mean or dangerous feel good. You’re nothing like him, and just like General Leia and Han Solo can’t be blamed, neither can you.”

“My great-grandparents on my dad’s side were Imperialists,” Poe says. “My grandpa was a Rebel. Before she died, my granny always said, ‘You’re such a kind boy, sweetheart.’ And when I first started school when I was three or four, whenever I was going on school trips, my granddad would tell me, ‘Always try to do what you think is right, but even if you disagree with people, see about treating them with kindness first.’”

“And I’ve always tried to hold to that,” Poe finishes.

Looking down at the baby, he knows, if she is adopted soon, she won’t have any memory of Poe, but he hopes whoever Poe picks will make sure she grows up knowing about the man who did so much more than just feed and change her before flying her away from the icy planet she was abandoned on.

…

The glasses come in, and he understands protective and night-vision googles and sun-blocking eyegear but he’s always found the idea of people wearing something to help them see in regular everyday life to be strange.

These have a band that will go around her head rather than rest around her ears, and Dr Kalonia has to assure Poe that they won’t be a strangulation risk.

Other than this, he knows better to say it, but: Poe’s statement about them never losing the baby when she’s wearing these is probably spot-on. They hadn’t looked _this_ distinctive in the hologram Lt Connix showed them.

“Here we go.” Dr Kalonia slips them on.

The baby blinks, and he can’t help but jump. She’s flailing her arms, laughing, and alternating between staring at things and wildly moving her head around as much as she can.

Poe picks her up, and her eyes land on him.

Reaching out, he meets her grasping hands, and her fingers are much too small to even come close to wrapping around any part of him, but she presses and rubs them against any skin she can find.

“When will the prescription need to be adjusted,” Poe asks.

“It’s recommended she have an eye check up in six months to a year,” Dr Kalonia answers.

“Thank you, Doctor. Let’s go show Kaydel. If she complains, you can hold the baby while I remind her that she’s the one who picked them out.”

They leave, and as they walk, he watches the baby pressing her hands into Poe’s shirt.

“Ready to start going over the list of potential adoptive parents?”

“Yeah,” he answers. “What about interviews?”

“Leia’s said a lot of them would be willing to come here. And we can find someone to watch over her during interviews.”

“I’m not sure-”

Poe gives him a look. “Finn, you’re conducting interviews with me. Okay? It’ll be fine. Besides, if you don’t, Rose will likely be elected for the job, and out of the two of you, you’re less likely to taser anyone who gives us a bad feeling.”

“I don’t think Rose would-”

“Well, we aren’t going to find out. It’s you and me, buddy.”

…

Poe wants to focus on married, child-free couples where both are civilians first.

Some have sent videos and/or holograms of themselves, and they’ve all written letters.

Poe now has a desk in his quarters, he’s sitting on Poe’s normal chair as they sort through, and BB-8 is watching the sleeping baby.

“I don’t think I can interview all of them,” Poe yawns out.

“You don’t have to.”

“I don’t- None of these so far have given a reason to turn them down.”

“Hey.” Coming over, he squeezes Poe’s shoulder, and feeling how tense Poe is, he starts to carefully press against the back of Poe’s neck. “Look, all these people seem to genuinely want a child, to give one a good home. But that doesn’t mean they’d all be right for our princess. Hopefully, there’s kids out there who they’ll find, and they’ll be right for one another.”

Something catches his eye. “What’s this?”

Maximizing one of the tabs, he finds himself staring at a Tenctonese man and a Verpine.

The Tenctonese might qualify as a lost race.

Before the First Order was fully out of the shadows, a deal was made between them and certain Tenctonese people, though, there’s still debate whether this group was a religious faction, a political group, or something else. Aside from a select few, the whole planet would be enslaved, and genetic modifications would be made to the species to make them even more adaptable than they already were.

Then, all those ships carrying the enslaved people either willingly went through a wormhole or somehow got sucked through one, and no one has been able to find any of the ships. They could all be dead, or some of them could be either in an unexplored part of the galaxy or even a different galaxy or galaxies all together.

All that’s left is the very few, an estimated thousand or so, who managed to avoid or escape the enslavement, and most are unable to reproduce. There’s a large gender disparity, and even if there weren’t, most of the Binnaum, sterile males who catalyse females so that fertile males can impregnate her, were on those missing ships.

The Verpine is male, too, he sees. Zix. The Tenctonese is named Treyma.

“They’re a possibility,” Poe says.

Treyma is a nurse, and Zix is a science teacher at a primary school. They live on Serenno.

Poe stretches out. “They’re probably the closest, too. We’ll see about them first.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve done some research on baby development, but there’s always a bit of artistic license involved in any of my fics involving babies. It’s currently recommended babies are lain on their backs for sleeping, I don’t know if a baby this age, with or without Down syndrome, would be reaching out for things or not, and based on my research, it might be a little early age-wise for her to be laughing.
> 
> The next chapter will be titled Meet the Parents.


End file.
